Lecture outline

Mercury is the smallest planet in our Solar System, yet it poses some of planetary science’s biggest questions. Why is it so metal-rich? How did it form and evolve? And how does it interact with the extreme environment so close to the Sun? This lecture will explore what we have learned from NASA’s MESSENGER mission, celebrate the successful arrival of the ESA–JAXA BepiColombo mission into orbit around Mercury in 2026, and look ahead to the start of scientific operations in April 2027. Particular focus will be given to the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS), the only UK instrument on the mission and led by the University of Leicester, which will map the planet’s surface composition and help reveal the interaction between Mercury’s dynamic space environment and the surface. The lecture will also highlight Leicester’s central role in the conception, design, construction and operation of this pioneering instrument, illustrating how expertise developed in our city is contributing to one of humanity’s most ambitious robotic explorations of the inner Solar System.

Biographical note

Professor Emma Bunce OBE is the Director of the Institute for Space at the University of Leicester. She is a planetary scientist involved in multiple space missions exploring our solar system including BepiColombo at Mercury, and the future JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission to Ganymede. She uses data from robotic missions to answer fundamental questions about diverse solar system objects. She is Principal Investigator on the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer, part of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission which will begin science at Mercury in April 2027. She also played a key role in the definition of and proposal for the ESA JUICE mission, and will analyse data from two instruments when the mission begins in the early 2030s. Emma has received multiple awards in recognition of her work, including the 2018 Royal Astronomical Society Chapman Medal for her research on the gas giant planets, and the EGU David Bates Medal in 2022 for “exceptional contributions to the study of the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, mentoring of students and early career scientists, and public outreach activities. Emma received an OBE for “services to Astronomy and Science Education” in the King’s New Year’s Honours List in 2023.

Attending the lecture

The lecture is open both to members of the Society and to guests.

The lecture will take place in the Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, New Walk https://www.leicestermuseums.org/leicester-museum-art-gallery/

The hall will be open from 6:45 and tea and coffee drinks will be available between 7.00pm and 7.15pm before the formal start of the event at 7.30pm.

The lecture will also be streamed on Zoom. A recording of the lecture may be available to members only.