Orbit
Mercury’s orbit is the flattest among all the planets. Its orbital concentration is 0.21. Its distance from the Sun is thought to range from 46,000,000 to 70,000,000 km (29,000,000 to 43,000,000 mile). It takes 87.969 Earth days for a complete orbit. This planet's orbit is mounted on a circular orbit while its semi-principal axis is equal.Atmosphere
Mercury has a light atmosphere that is mainly composed of atoms from the solar wind. Mercury is very hot due to which these atoms fly into space. This is unlike Earth and Venus, whose environment is permanent, this planet’s atmosphere keeps on being new.Related Article: When Did The Discovery Of Pluto? Who And How Discovered Pluto?
Surface
The pits on the surface of Mercury are quite deep, a few hundred km long and three km deep. It appears that the surface of this planet is about 0.1% narrower. On the surface of Mercury lies the Caloris Basin, which is about 1300 km in diameter. It is like the Mariya Basin of the Moon. Perhaps it is also caused by the collision of a comet or asteroid. Apart from these pits, this planet also has some flat plateaus which are probably made up of past volcanic activities.Related Article: New Exoplanet HD 21749b Discovered By Nasa's Planet-hunting Spacecraft TESS
Volcanology
The data obtained from the Mariner 10 suggests that there is some volcanic activity on Mercury but some more data is needed to prove it. Surprisingly there is evidence of aquatic ice in the craters of Mercury’s North Pole. Evidence was also found from the radar.Myths
According to the Roman myths, Mercury is the messenger of the gods, the Roman form of the Greek god Hermes, the god of trade, travel, and pilgrimage. It got the name of the messenger because the planet travels very fast in the sky, completing one of its revolutions in about 88 days.Related Article: Who And How Discovered Eris ( Dwarf Planet ). How Eris Named Eris.
Observations
Mercury has been known since Sumerian times, 3 Millennium Before Christ. It has sometimes been called the sunrise star, sometimes the sunset star. Greek astronomers knew that these two names belong to the same planet. Heraclitus even believed that Mercury and Venus revolve around the Sun, not the Earth. Mercury is closer to the Sun than the Earth, so from the Earth, it shows its phases like a moon. Galileo’s telescope was small so that he could not see the phases of Mercury but he saw the phases of Venus.Naming
The working group naming the planetary system has approved new names for five basins on this planet: Caloris Basin, Beethoven Basin, Tolstoj Basin, Raditladi Basin, Rembrandt Basin.Formation
When several kilometers of dust piles come together, they begin to heat up and unite. This mass, like a vortex formed in the universe, also attracts other substances towards it. Finally, hot, round-shaped planets emerge. The further away a planet is from the sun and its excessive radiation, the greater the chances of snow there. Then the ice is made of water or methane or other volatile gases. It was here that planets like Saturn became huge gas.Related Article: How Pluto And Charon was named Pluto And Charon? Nature Of Pluto, Is Pluto A Planet?
Excess Of Sulphur And Iron
But planets with solid surfaces close to the sun took shapes, such as Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury. American spacecraft Messenger explores the surface of Mercury. Mercury has more iron than Earth and Mars. Scientists were surprised to find elements like sulfur and chlorine on Mercury.Dr. Jörn Helbert of the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin is associated with this campaign. He says, “these are substances that disappear in very high temperatures. As if the sulfur was not supposed to be there. But Mercury’s surface has four and a half per sulfur. It is very surprising.
Add your comment Hide comment