Abstract
Recent planetary probes have performed in situ measurements of the magnetic fields of all the terrestrial planets. Consideration is given to the origin of these fields, with attention to the equilibrium — condensation hypothesis for the formation of the solar system. In particular, it is shown that Mercury's present day magnetic field could have been acquired during or shortly after a cold accretion or that it could be due to a presently operating dynamo, resulting from a ‘hot evolution’. Two parameters which would help to distinguish between these possibilities are the present‐day surface heat flow and the moment of inertia.
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