Mercury By: Ava Doskicz

How Did Mercury Get Its Name?

In Roman mythology, Mercury is the god of commerce, travel,

and thievery. Mercury was named after Hermes; the

messenger of the gods. The Greeks had two names for the planet: Apollo (in the morning

sky) and Hermes (in the evening sky). The Romans named it Mercury for the

Roman equivalent of Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

The planet received its name because it moves so quickly

across the sky.

Discovery of Mercury: who? when? & how?

Who-Timocharis a Greek astronomer & philosopher

When- He first recorded the observation of Mercury in 265 BC

How-The five original naked-eye planets were Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn, and they had a significant impact on ancient astronomy, mythology, and cosmology. Since Mercury is closer to the Sun than the Earth, the illumination of

Mercury's disk varies when viewed with a telescope from our perspective.

How cont.-It is so difficult to make out features on the surface of the planet from Earth, it was not until the 1960s that scientists determined the correct day length rate (59 Earth days) of the planet on its axis. This also showed that Mercury's day

length and year length are the same.

Planet measurementsmass- 328.5E21 kgVolume- 60,827,208,742 km3.Density- 5.43 g/cm³Gravity- 3.7 m/s²Would your planet float or sink?-In water mercury would sink very quickly as it is very heavy. Part of mercury dissolves in water and is extremely poisonous.

DistancesDistance form the earth (km)77 million km

Order from the sunClosest to the sun

Distance from the sun (km)57,909,175 km

Why couldn’t humans live on Mercury?

We can't live on mercury because it is either way too hot or way too cold, depending on location, as well as having no atmosphere, and no air. Mercury has no oxygen, carbon, anything. Any gases we put on it would evaporate into space because, again, mercury has no atmosphere.

Weather- Daytime temperatures can reach a blistering 450°C and then drop to a frigid -170°C at night. Hard to know how to dress for that climate.Rings- noneSatellites- noneWater- Water was found on Mercury near its north pole. The water was found as ice frozen in the bottom of several craters, where sunlight cannot evaporate it. Moons-none

More on Mercury

Composition/appearance What type of planet is mercury gas, giant,& rocky?Mercury is covered by a dusty layer of minerals (silicates), the surface is made up of plains, cliffs, and craters

What does mercury look like?The planet Mercury looks a little bit like Earth's moon. Like our Moon, Mercury’s surface is covered with craters caused by space rock impacts. Mercury has a thick iron core and a thinner outer crust of rocky material.

What is the Temperature range on mercury?Temperature Range on Mercury:-184o C to 427o C (-300o F to 800o F)How does Mercury’s temperature compare to earths?The temperatures on Earth are moderated by the atmosphere and by the oceans, which absorb and transfer heat from the equatorial regions (most notably as hurricanes). Precipitation can either increase or decrease local temperatures. On Mercury, there is no liquid water and virtually no atmosphere. The only regions with temperatures close to Earth's are near Mercury's poles, where solar radiation is the least intense

Temperatures

Orbit & rotation How long does it take Mercury to orbit around the sun Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It’s the fastest to orbit the Sun. Mercury only takes 88 days to orbit the Sun.

How long does it take Mercury to rotate on its own axis (day form)Mercury completes one rotation every 58.65 Earth days.

Special things about Mercury!

88 earth days is one year thereMercury is the smallest planet in our solar system Second densest planetMercury has wrinkles

Bibliography

"Discover Mercury." Discover of Mercury by Early Astronomers, Missions. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

"LINKS." Exploratorium: The Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

"Nine Plants." The Solar System Tour. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

"Solar System Exploration: Home Page." Solar System Exploration: Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.