Discovering Salt Glaciers on Mercury & the Hunt for Alien Life #sciencetime #universe #spacescience

Scientists have discovered potential salt glaciers on Mercury, the solar system’s smallest and closest planet to the sun. This revelation challenges previous notions of Mercury as a volatile-free world and suggests the possibility of subsurface environments that might be more hospitable to life. These glaciers are thought to have originated from Volatile Rich Layers (VRLs) deep within Mercury, exposed by asteroid impacts. This discovery, hinting at the presence of life-sustaining environments similar to Earth’s extreme habitats, also aligns with the recent finding of nitrogen glaciers on Pluto. The findings imply that glaciation could span from the solar system’s hottest to its coldest regions, presenting a new frontier for astrobiology.