Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has been studied by multiple spacecraft throughout the years. Even though Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, its surface can still be extremely cold. The temperature during the day can reach 840 degrees Fahrenheit , but at night, temperatures can get as low as minus 275 F . Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. The tiny planet is about 3,030 miles (4,876 kilometers) in diameter, making it about the size of the continental United States and only slightly bigger than Earth's moon. (Since Pluto was down graded to a Dwarf Planet, Mercury holds the smallest planet record). Scientists think that a huge asteroid slammed into Mercury about 4 billion years ago, creating a giant crater about 960 miles across. Called the Caloris Basin, the crater could fit the whole state of Texas inside it. Mercury zips around the sun faster than any other planet. It travels about 112,000 mph along its elliptical orbit. The planet takes only 88 Earth days to completely orbit the sun. Scientists think that there is ice inside Mercury's craters. The planet's north and south poles are cold and shadowy, which could allow them to retain water ice. Meteorites and comets could have delivered ice to those areas, or water vapor from Mercury's innards could have seeped out and frozen. NASA's MESSENGER probe (short for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging mission), which has been orbiting Mercury since 2011, has beamed back some amazing images of the closest planet to the sun. Scientists have discovered that Mercury has streams of particles sloughing off its surface. Researchers aren't exactly sure what is responsible for the shapes of the tails, but they think it might have something to do with the planet's magnetosphere and the sun's wind. A large part of Mercury could be covered in dried lava. The planet's northern plains appear smooth because lava may have poured over the surface, smoothing it out as it moved. Although scientists don't see volcanic activity on Mercury's surface now, many think it could be a good explanation for the way the planet looks today.
Just a few things to think about Mercury....
18 Comments
Alivia
11/16/2016 04:06:05 pm
that is so cool Mercury is cool
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Katelyn ashton
11/16/2016 04:11:57 pm
It looks like the moon🌗🌕🌖🌓🌒🌑🌘🌔
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Addie Jensen
11/16/2016 05:13:18 pm
thats so cool! i like the colorful pics
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11/16/2016 05:16:28 pm
Mercury is so cool and I never knew that it could get so cold at night. :):):):):):):):):):):):):0:0:0:0:0:0
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steve roper
11/16/2016 05:22:44 pm
whoa that is so cool and that are some pretty highs and lows. Just imagine being a weather man and saying the highs today are 840 degrees F and the lows will be 275 degrees below zero.
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Ema Martinez
11/16/2016 05:43:37 pm
Mercury is so amazing! The pics are so colorful. I never knew it zips around the sun faster than any other planet.
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jenna
11/16/2016 06:19:35 pm
mercury cool facts
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Caden
11/16/2016 06:47:33 pm
Pictures are cool
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sydney
11/16/2016 06:52:08 pm
mercury is cold
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Paige
11/16/2016 07:44:48 pm
Wow those are pretty interesting facts!
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Avery
11/16/2016 07:46:20 pm
Those are cool facts about mercury
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Emmalee
11/16/2016 09:03:26 pm
WOW!
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Zaya
11/16/2016 09:18:58 pm
The temperatures would be crazy if we had them?
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Zaya
11/16/2016 09:19:53 pm
Hehe. Oops. I added a question mark instead of an exclamation mark.
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Zaya
11/17/2016 07:14:29 am
This is just soooo cool!
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Ryan
11/17/2016 08:29:48 am
When I saw the first picture I thought that it was the moon. That's amazing that it gets that cold that close to the sun.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |