BepiColombo at Mercury: First close-in magnetic field measurements from the southern hemisphere

<p>The internal magnetic field of Mercury is best described by a northward offset dipole with almost zero obliquity. Its offset, weakness, axisymmetry and lack of secular variation still poses a challenge to dynamo theory. After NASA&#8217;s Mariner 10 flybys in the 1970&#8217;s and MESSENGER&#8217;s orbital mission in 2011-2015, BepiColombo performed a flyby at Mercury in October 2021. For the first time, magnetic field measurements are obtained from the southern hemisphere by the fluxgate magnetometer MPO-MAG. We will present an overview of the flyby data and compare the new in-situ data to magnetospheric models obtained from the previous missions to the innermost terrestrial planet. Does the flyby data reveal any secular variation? Has the dipole offset changed? These are some of the questions we will discuss with this unprecedented magnetometer data. We will close with a discussion on what is to be expected from the orbital phase of BepiColombo.&#160;</p>