The History of Mercury
Exploration of Mercury
Probes that explored Mercury:
The Mariner 10 probe explored Mercury in 2015.
The Messenger explored Mercury during 2008 all the way to 2015.
The BepiColombo will orbit Mercury in 2024.
Who discovered Mercury?
Mercury was discovered by Copernicus. Later, the discovery of Mercury was confirmed by Galileo.
When was it discovered?
It was discovered in 1543.
How did they discover it?
By making a model of the Solar System.
Where did they discover it?
In the Egyptian Tombs.
How did the planet get its name?
It was named after the Roman messenger god.
One fun fact about Mercury:
It is smaller than the U.S.A!
The Solar System
Moons and Rings
What planet is it from the Sun?
The first.
What is an AU and what does it measure?
An astronomical unit measures distances between different planets and stars in our solar system.
Mercury is 0.39 AUS or 58,343,170 km from the Sun.
The orbital period of Mercury is 88 days, and the length
of one day is 59 earth days.
Fun Fact about the solar system- The sun is 4.6 billion years old!
Moons:
-Mercury does not have any moons.
FUN FACT 1: Every 7 years, Mercury can be seem from Earth.
FUN FACT 2: Mercury is the second densest planet in the solar system.
Rings:
Mercury does not have any rings, either.
Overview
Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System, and the closest to the sun. It was first discovered in 1543 during 3000 B.C. Today, it is known for being the fastest and closest planet to the Sun.
Planet Measurements
Diameter- 3032 miles
Length of one year- 88 days
Length of one day- 59 earth days
Gravitational Pull- 3.7m/s squared
# of natural satellites- 0
# of rings- none
Mercury
By: Tanu, Tatum, and
Katherine
Bibliography
Composition and Atmosphere
www.universetoday.com
www.nasa.gov
www.wikipedia.org
www.space-facts.com
www.scholastic.com
www.nineplanets.org
www.kidsastronomy.com
www.space.com
www.solarviews.com
The core of Mercury is metallic, and it has more iron than any other planet.
The surface composition of Mercury is 70% metals and 30% silicate metals.
The composition of the atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen.
Surface Condition
MERCURY
What is the average surface temperature?
167 degrees Celsius.
What type of weather is found on Mercury? Lots of different kinds. The side that faces the sun can get very, very hot, up to 425 degrees Celsius. The side facing away from the sun gets too cold, going to -193 degrees Celsius.
By Tanu, Tatum,, and Katherine
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