Scientists say they have for the first time discovered and recorded mysterious “singing” plasma waves around planet Mercury.

This phenomenon was discovered by astronomer Mitsunori Ozaki of Kanazawa University, and a team of other scientists from Japan and France.

While such chorus waves have been recorded on Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, and observed at&nbsp;Uranus&nbsp;and&nbsp;Neptune, this is the first time that “whistling” sound waves were found emitting from Mercury’s magnetic field.

What makes this discovery interesting is that while other planets have a strong magnetic field, Mercury doesn’t.

<h2>Scientists shed light on new discovery&nbsp;</h2>

Mercury is essentially a big rock with a pretty much non-existent atmosphere. Since it orbits too close to the Sun, the planet is constantly bombarded with solar radiation and wind.

There are also a few things that Mercury does not have: a thick and&nbsp;lush atmosphere, and permanent radiation belts where solar particles become trapped in a planet's magnetic field.

Researchers believe that the findings could shed some light on the magnetic environment around Mercury, and how planetary magnetic fields in general are shaped by the solar wind.

Recently this year, scientists were able to discover that Mercury has auroras of its own kind, even though it has a non-existent magnetic field and atmosphere.

There has been sparse knowledge about Mercury as there have been not a lot of space missions dedicated to studying the planet.

<h2>Sparse knowledge of Mercury&nbsp;</h2>

The fact that it has a magnetic field was discovered only during the 1970s when the Mariner 10 space probe was launched to observe the planet.

But now scientists are seeking to make up for the lack of information, with its Mercury BepiColombo mission that was launched in 2018. It houses an instrument called MIO&nbsp;dedicated to studying the Mercurian magnetosphere.

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Though the instrument is not quite&nbsp;in orbit yet due to the influence of the Sun’s gravity, it conducted flybys of Mercury in 2021 and 2022 during which it recorded observations of Mercury's magnetic field.

It was during that time the researchers found clear evidence of whistler-mode waves in the magnetosphere of Mercury.

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"To date, we still do not know whether Earth and Mercury have similar spatiotemporal properties of their electron-driven chorus,"&nbsp;the researchers write.

"The present study paves the way for these challenging future investigations that will reveal how magnetized planet environments are shaped by the solar wind in our Solar System, with potential extrapolation to exoplanets and their interactions with stellar winds."

The research has been published in&nbsp;Nature Astronomy.

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Scientists say they have for the first time discovered and recorded mysterious “singing” plasma waves around planet Mercury. This phenomenon was discovered by astronomer Mitsunori Ozaki of Kanazawa University, and a team of other scientists from Japan and France.

Scientists say they have for the first time discovered and recorded mysterious “singing” plasma waves around planet Mercury. This phenomenon was discovered by astronomer Mitsunori Ozaki of Kanazawa University, and a team of other scientists from Japan and France. While such chorus waves have been recorded on Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, and observed at Uranus and Neptune, this is the first time that “whistling” sound waves were found emitting from Mercury’s magnetic field. What makes this discovery interesting is that while other planets have a strong magnetic field, Mercury doesn’t. Scientists shed light on new discovery Mercury is essentially a big rock with a pretty much non-existent atmosphere. Since it orbits too close to the Sun, the planet is constantly bombarded with solar radiation and wind. There are also a few things that Mercury does not have: a thick and lush atmosphere, and permanent radiation belts where solar particles become trapped in a planet's magnetic field. Researchers believe that the findings could shed some light on the magnetic environment around Mercury, and how planetary magnetic fields in general are shaped by the solar wind. Recently this year, scientists were able to discover that Mercury has auroras of its own kind, even though it has a non-existent magnetic field and atmosphere. There has been sparse knowledge about Mercury as there have been not a lot of space missions dedicated to studying the planet. Sparse knowledge of Mercury The fact that it has a magnetic field was discovered only during the 1970s when the Mariner 10 space probe was launched to observe the planet. But now scientists are seeking to make up for the lack of information, with its Mercury BepiColombo mission that was launched in 2018. It houses an instrument called MIO dedicated to studying the Mercurian magnetosphere. Also read | Common plastic additive found linked to ADHD and autism: Study Though the instrument is not quite in orbit yet due to the influence of the Sun’s gravity, it conducted flybys of Mercury in 2021 and 2022 during which it recorded observations of Mercury's magnetic field. It was during that time the researchers found clear evidence of whistler-mode waves in the magnetosphere of Mercury. Also read | Space storms leaving weird impact on birds, claim scientists "To date, we still do not know whether Earth and Mercury have similar spatiotemporal properties of their electron-driven chorus," the researchers write. "The present study paves the way for these challenging future investigations that will reveal how magnetized planet environments are shaped by the solar wind in our Solar System, with potential extrapolation to exoplanets and their interactions with stellar winds." The research has been published in Nature Astronomy. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Scientists find mysterious ‘singing’ plasma waves around Mercury

On April 12, a gigantic plasma wave smashed into Mercury was launched by the Sun, the wave might have triggered a geomagnetic storm, Live Science reported. The process might also have scouring material from the planet's surface, the report added.&nbsp;

As per spaceweather.com, the wave that struck Mercury on April 12 happened after a powerful eruption was seen emanating from the Sun's far side a day before.&nbsp;

The report said that the storm may have created a temporary atmosphere and even added material to Mercury's comet-like tail.&nbsp;

It took the eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), took less than a day to strike Mercury which is the closest planet to Sun, the report added.&nbsp;

As per the report, the plasma wave came from a sunspot. Experts have noted that the sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun and the reason behind it is they are cooler than other parts of the Sun's surface.&nbsp;

The Live Science report added that a sunspot is created by the flow of electric charges and gets knotted up before suddenly snapping and the energy from this process is released in the form of radiation bursts called solar flares or waves of plasma (CMEs).&nbsp;

In a statement, Hui Zhang, a co-author of both studies and a space physics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute: "The processes are quite similar to here on Earth."&nbsp;

Zhang added that "the main differences are the size of the planet and Mercury has a weak magnetic field and virtually no atmosphere."&nbsp;

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(With inputs from agencies)

On April 12, a gigantic plasma wave smashed into Mercury was launched by the Sun, the wave might have triggered a geomagnetic storm, Live Science reported. The process might also have scouring material from the planet's surface, the report added.

On April 12, a gigantic plasma wave smashed into Mercury was launched by the Sun, the wave might have triggered a geomagnetic storm, Live Science reported. The process might also have scouring material from the planet's surface, the report added. As per spaceweather.com, the wave that struck Mercury on April 12 happened after a powerful eruption was seen emanating from the Sun's far side a day before. The report said that the storm may have created a temporary atmosphere and even added material to Mercury's comet-like tail. It took the eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), took less than a day to strike Mercury which is the closest planet to Sun, the report added. As per the report, the plasma wave came from a sunspot. Experts have noted that the sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun and the reason behind it is they are cooler than other parts of the Sun's surface. The Live Science report added that a sunspot is created by the flow of electric charges and gets knotted up before suddenly snapping and the energy from this process is released in the form of radiation bursts called solar flares or waves of plasma (CMEs). In a statement, Hui Zhang, a co-author of both studies and a space physics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute: "The processes are quite similar to here on Earth." Zhang added that "the main differences are the size of the planet and Mercury has a weak magnetic field and virtually no atmosphere." WATCH | 10 things about China's recent space mission × (With inputs from agencies)

Sun blasted Mercury with a plasma wave. What does it mean for Mercury's atmosphere?

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