We are pleased to announce the upcoming Royal Astronomical Society Specialist Discussion Meeting entitled: “The State-of-the-Art of Mercury’s Space Environment in Preparation for the Nominal Phase of the BepiColombo Mission.”
Specialist Discussion Meetings provide a valuable forum to promote and encourage research in astronomy and geophysics by facilitating in-depth conversations on current scientific topics. BepiColombo is a joint ESA and JAXA mission that will study, using two orbiters, the planet Mercury itself, its space environment, and interactions with the solar wind. Both orbiters will arrive together at Mercury in November 2026. This Discussion Meeting will focus on the solar wind and space weather encountered near Mercury’s orbit, as observed by MESSENGER, Solar Orbiter, Parker Solar Probe, and by BepiColombo itself during its cruise phase and Mercury flybys. Our aim is to bridge the gap between the planetary and solar communities, fostering collaboration and discussion in preparation for BepiColombo’s prime science mission. We welcome contributions from both fields to help build the most up-to-date understanding of Mercury’s space environment.
Topics to be covered include:
- Solar wind interaction with Mercury
- Holistic response of the Hermean system to solar events, including magnetospheric dynamics and X-ray emissions from the surface
- Solar wind and solar transient prediction
- Lessons learned from MESSENGER and Solar Orbiter at Mercury’s orbital distance
Meeting Details:
- Date: Friday, 12 December 2025, 10:30–15:35 (UK time)
- Venue: The Geological Society, Burlington House, London
- Register here (Free for RAS Fellows; £15 for non-Fellows, £16.96 including admin fee)
You are welcome to attend the meeting without presenting. However, if you wish to share your work, please submit here. Deadline for abstracts: 14 November 2025, Meeting schedule announcement: 21 November 2025.
(Transmis par Lina Hadid)