Unlocking the Secrets of Mercury's Surface

A gamma-ray spectrometer is helping determine the elemental and mineral composition of Mercury's surface.
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Inside Science Buzzwords:

  1. Gamma-ray - a high-energy electromagnetic wave, which can be released by atoms undergoing radioactive decays.
  2. Spectrometer - an instrument that can measure the range of energies in gamma rays released from radioactive atoms on the surface of Mercury.
  3. Cosmic ray - charged particles that originate in space.