Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun
[ad_1]
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why the Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god.
The Sumerians also knew of Mercury since at least 5,000 years ago. It was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing, according to a site connected to NASA’s MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) mission. Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star. Greek astronomers knew, however, that the two names referred to the same body, and Heraclitus, around 500 B.C., correctly thought that both Mercury and Venus orbited the sun, not Earth.
Mercury is the second densest planet after Earth, with a huge metallic core roughly 2,200 to 2,400 miles (3,600 to 3,800 kilometers) wide, or about 75% of the planet’s diameter. In comparison, Mercury’s outer shell is only 300 to 400 miles (500 to 600 km) thick. The combination of its massive core and composition, which includes an abundance of volatile elements, has left scientists puzzled for years.
What’s it like on Mercury’s surface?
Because the planet is so close to the sun, Mercury’s surface temperature can reach a scorching 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius). However, since this world doesn’t have much of a real atmosphere to entrap any heat, at night temperatures can plummet to minus 275 degrees Fahrenheit (minus degrees 170 Celsius), a temperature swing of more than 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius), the greatest in the solar system.
Mercury is the smallest planet — it is only slightly larger than Earth’s moon. Since it has no significant atmosphere to stop impacts, the planet is pockmarked with craters. About 4 billion years ago, an asteroid roughly 60 miles (100 km) wide struck Mercury with an impact equal to 1 trillion 1-megaton bombs, creating a vast impact crater roughly 960 miles (1,550 km) wide. Known as the Caloris Basin, this crater could hold the entire state of Texas. Another large impact may have helped create the planet’s odd spin, according to research in 2011.
As close to the sun as Mercury is, in 2012, NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft discovered water ice in the craters around its north pole in 2017, where regions may be permanently shaded from the heat of the sun. The southern pole may also contain icy pockets, but MESSENGER’s orbit did not allow scientists to probe the area. Comets or meteorites may have delivered ice there, or water vapor may have outgassed from the planet’s interior and frozen out at the poles.
Fast facts
Average distance from the sun: 35,983,095 miles (57,909,175 km). By comparison: 0.38 Earth’s distance from the sun
Perihelion (closest approach to sun): 28,580,000 miles (46,000,000 km). By comparison: 0.313 times that of Earth
Aphelion (farthest distance from sun): 43,380,000 miles (69,820,000 km). By comparison: 0.459 times that of Earth
Day length: 58.646 Earth days
Color: Gray
As if Mercury isn’t small enough, it not only shrank in its past but is continuing to shrink today, according to a 2016 report. The tiny planet is made up of a single continental plate over a cooling iron core. As the core cools, it solidifies, reducing the planet’s volume and causing it to shrink. The process crumpled the surface, creating lobe-shaped scarps or cliffs, some hundreds of miles long and soaring up to a mile high, as well as Mercury’s “Great Valley,” which at about 620 miles long, 250 miles wide and 2 miles deep (1,000 by 400 by 3.2 km) is larger than Arizona’s famous Grand Canyon and deeper than the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.
“The young age of the small scarps means that Mercury joins Earth as a tectonically active planet with new faults likely forming today as Mercury’s interior continues to cool and the planet contracts,” Tom Watters, Smithsonian senior scientist at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.
Indeed, a 2016 study of cliffs on Mercury’s surface suggested the planet may still rumble with earthquakes, or “Mercuryquakes.” In addition, in the past, Mercury’s surface was constantly reshaped by volcanic activity. However, another 2016 study suggested Mercury’s volcano eruptions likely ended about 3.5 billion years ago.
One 2016 study suggested that Mercury’s surface features can generally be divided into two groups — one consisting of older material that melted at higher pressures at the core-mantle boundary, and the other of newer material that formed closer to Mercury’s surface. Another 2016 study found that the dark hue of Mercury’s surface is due to carbon. This carbon wasn’t deposited by impacting comets, as some researchers suspected — instead, it may be a remnant of the planet’s primordial crust.
Mercury’s magnetic field
A completely unexpected discovery made by Mariner 10 was that Mercury possessed a magnetic field. Planets theoretically generate magnetic fields only if they spin quickly and possess a molten core. But Mercury takes 59 days to rotate and is so small — just roughly one-third Earth’s size — that its core should have cooled off long ago.
“We had figured out how the Earth works, and Mercury is another terrestrial, rocky planet with an iron core, so we thought it would work the same way,” Christopher Russell, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement.
An unusual interior could help to explain the differences in Mercury’s magnetic field when compared to Earth. Observations from MESSENGER revealed that the planet’s magnetic field is approximately three times stronger at its northern hemisphere than at its southern. Russell co-authored a model that suggests that Mercury’s iron core may be turning from liquid to solid at the core’s outer boundary rather than the inner.
“It’s like a snow storm in which the snow formed at the top of the cloud and middle of the cloud and the bottom of the cloud too,” said Russell. “Our study of Mercury’s magnetic field indicates iron is snowing throughout this fluid that is powering Mercury’s magnetic field.”
The discovery in 2007 by Earth-based radar observations that Mercury’s core may still be molten could help explain its magnetism, though the solar wind may play a role in dampening the planet’s magnetic field.
Although Mercury’s magnetic field is just 1% the strength of Earth’s, it is very active. The magnetic field in the solar wind — the charged particles streaming off the sun — periodically touches upon Mercury’s field, creating powerful magnetic tornadoes that channel the fast, hot plasma of the solar wind down to the planet’s surface.
Does Mercury have an atmosphere?
Instead of a substantial atmosphere, Mercury possesses an ultra-thin “exosphere” made up of atoms blasted off its surface by solar radiation, the solar wind and micrometeoroid impacts. These quickly escape into space, forming a tail of particles, according to NASA.
The atmosphere of Mercury is a “surface-bound exosphere, essentially a vacuum.” It contains 42% oxygen, 29% sodium, 22% hydrogen, 6% helium, 0.5% potassium, with possible trace amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, xenon, krypton and neon, according to NASA.
Mercury’s orbit
Mercury speeds around the sun every 88 Earth days, traveling through space at nearly 112,000 mph (180,000 km/h), faster than any other planet. Its oval-shaped orbit is highly elliptical, taking Mercury as close as 29 million miles (47 million km) and as far as 43 million miles (70 million km) from the sun. If one could stand on Mercury when it is nearest to the sun, it would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth.
Oddly, due to Mercury’s highly elliptical orbit and the 59 Earth-days or so it takes to rotate on its axis, when on the scorching surface of the planet, the sun appears to rise briefly, set, and rise again before it travels westward across the sky. At sunset, the sun appears to set, rise again briefly, and then set again.
In 2016, a rare transit of Mercury happened, where the planet crossed the face of the sun as seen from Earth. Mercury’s transit may have yielded secrets about its thin atmosphere, assisted in the hunt for worlds around other stars, and helped NASA hone some of its instruments.
Research & exploration
The first spacecraft to visit Mercury was Mariner 10, which imaged about 45% of the surface and detected its magnetic field.
NASA’s MESSENGER orbiter was the second spacecraft to visit Mercury. When it arrived in March 2011, it became the first spacecraft to orbit the planet. The mission came to an abrupt end on April 30, 2015, when the spacecraft, which had run out of fuel, purposely crashed onto the planet’s surface for scientists to observe the results.
In 2012, scientists discovered a group of meteorites in Morocco that they think could have originated from the planet Mercury. If so, it would make the rocky planet a member of a very select club with samples available on Earth; only the moon, Mars and the large asteroid Vesta have verified rocks in human laboratories.
In 2016, scientists released the first-ever global digital-elevation model of Mercury, which combined more than 10,000 images acquired by MESSENGER to take viewers across the wide-open spaces of the tiny world. The model revealed the planet’s highest and lowest points — the highest is found just south of Mercury’s equator, sitting 2.78 miles (4.48 km) above the average elevation of the planet, while the lowest point resides in Rachmaninoff basin, the suspected home of some of the most recent volcanic activity on the planet, and lies 3.34 miles (5.38 km) below the landscape average.
In 2018, a new Mercury explorer launched, the BepiColombo mission jointly operated by the European and Japanese space agencies. BepiColombo is composed of two spacecraft that, after a long trek to Mercury, will split up to better understand the tiny world. The European Space Agency’s segment of the mission will focus on studying Mercury’s surface while the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s portion will focus on the planet’s strange magnetosphere.
Currently, the mission is trekking through the inner solar system, with Mercury flybys to fine-tune the spacecraft’s mission beginning later this year. The proper science mission will begin in 2025 and is scheduled to last for about one Earth year, or four Mercury years.
Additional resources
[ad_2]
Original Post
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me. Thank you
Just about all of what you assert happens to be supprisingly appropriate and that makes me wonder the reason why I hadn’t looked at this in this light before. This piece really did switch the light on for me personally as far as this specific subject goes. But there is actually just one issue I am not too comfy with and while I attempt to reconcile that with the core theme of the position, permit me observe what all the rest of the visitors have to say.Very well done.
An impressive share, I simply given this onto a colleague who was doing slightly evaluation on this. And he in fact purchased me breakfast because I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If potential, as you develop into experience, would you mind updating your blog with extra particulars? It’s extremely useful for me. Large thumb up for this weblog put up!
Good website! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I could be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
I like this internet site because so much utile material on here : D.
Some really wonderful articles on this website , thanks for contribution.
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will certainly return.
Well I sincerely enjoyed studying it. This post offered by you is very constructive for proper planning.
I went over this website and I believe you have a lot of excellent information, bookmarked (:.
Thank you, I have just been searching for info about this topic for a long time and yours is the best I have found out till now. However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you positive in regards to the source?
I have read a few good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you put to create such a fantastic informative website.
Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people think about worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
Good day I am so delighted I found your site, I really found you by accident, while I was looking on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say cheers for a tremendous post and a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.
I have recently started a blog, the info you provide on this site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work.
There is noticeably a lot to know about this. I consider you made various good points in features also.
Excellent blog right here! Also your site rather a lot up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Normally I don’t read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thanks, quite nice article.
I keep listening to the reports speak about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the top site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i acquire some?
Awesome blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any suggestions? Many thanks!
Some really prize posts on this website , saved to bookmarks.
Some really nice and utilitarian information on this website , besides I conceive the design and style has wonderful features.
I have recently started a website, the info you provide on this web site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found most guys will go along with with your blog.
I must point out my gratitude for your kind-heartedness in support of persons who really want guidance on this one area. Your special commitment to passing the solution throughout had been remarkably interesting and has constantly empowered girls like me to arrive at their pursuits. Your own insightful recommendations means much a person like me and far more to my peers. With thanks; from everyone of us.
Just a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. “The price one pays for pursuing a profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” by James Arthur Baldwin.
I have been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i am happy to convey that I’ve an incredibly good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this website and give it a glance on a constant basis.
I genuinely enjoy looking through on this internet site, it has excellent articles. “One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly.” by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.
Hello, Neat post. There is an issue along with your web site in web explorer, could check thisK IE nonetheless is the market chief and a good part of folks will omit your wonderful writing due to this problem.
I will right away snatch your rss feed as I can not to find your email subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please allow me recognise in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
The following time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I mean, I do know it was my choice to read, however I truly thought youd have something fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you might fix for those who werent too busy searching for attention.
I happen to be writing to make you be aware of of the exceptional discovery my wife’s princess undergone viewing yuor web blog. She came to understand numerous details, which include how it is like to have an amazing giving nature to get many others completely fully understand chosen complicated matters. You actually did more than readers’ desires. Thanks for delivering those insightful, dependable, informative and as well as cool guidance on that topic to Gloria.
What Is Puravive? Puravive is a natural weight loss supplement that is known to boost the metabolic processes of the body.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
Absolutely written content material, appreciate it for entropy.
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will certainly return.
Hi there! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to check it out. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Outstanding blog and brilliant style and design.