[King Gizzard]

kind of thought this would be bigger news, but ok

NASA: Closest planet to sun, Mercury, harbors ice
By MARCIA DUNN
— Nov. 29 2:33 PM EST


This photo made available by NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 shows a 68-mile-diameter crater, large indentation at center, in the north polar region of Mercury which has been shown to harbor water ice, thanks to measurements by the Messenger spacecraft. Scientists made the announcement Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft has confirmed there's ice at Mercury's north pole.

Scientists announced Thursday that the orbiting probe, Messenger, has found evidence of frozen water, even though Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. The ice is located in the permanently shadowed region of Mercury's north pole. It's thought to be at least one-and-a-half feet deep — and possibly as much as 65 feet deep.

Scientists say it's likely Mercury's south pole also has ice, though there are no data to support it. Messenger orbits much closer to the north pole than the south.

Radar measurements, for years, have suggested the presence of ice. Now scientists know for a fact.

Messenger is the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. It was launched in 2004.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nasa-...ry-harbors-ice

[Z]

Ah wow, that's surprising considering how close it is to the sun! You'd think these sorts of things would be top of the news agenda

[GypsyGoth]

I always suspected there was ice on that planet.

[Benjamin]

Interesting. Considering the temperatures of the planet I would have thought no ice could exist.