Latest Ray Spectrometer Stories

MESSENGER carries a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) that is capable of measuring and characterizing gamma-ray emissions from the surface of Mercury. Just like radio waves, visible light, and X-rays, gamma rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, but with higher energies than those other types of radiation. Gamma rays coming from Mercury carry information about the concentrations of elements present on its surface, so observations from the MESSENGER GRS are being used to determine the...