1. The planet Mercury is very
difficult to study from the Earth
because of its proximity to the
Sun.
It is the second smallest planet
and also the fastest in its orbit
since it is the innermost planet.

2. Mercury, The Innermost Planet
• Mercury is one of the least explored
planets in the Solar System.
-Makes it hard to observe
because it NEVER gets more than 28º
from the Sun’s glare.

3. Mercury OrbitMercury Orbit
Earth
The Innermost Planet
•35,983,095 miles from
the Sun on the average.
•It revolves about the Sun
once every 88 days in an
orbit that is the most
elliptical of any planet
except Pluto.
Venus
Mercury
Sun

4. A closer look at MercuryA closer look at Mercury
Wren crater
Is barely visible at the
lower center of the image,
containing a number of
craters within its 215 km
diameter floor.
Mariner 10 oblique view of
Wren crater and
surroundings on Mercury.

5. Mariner 10Mariner 10
Mariner 10 flew over
Mercury at an altitude
of 756 km on in March
1974. It took many
photographs of the
surface of Mercury. Its
photographs cover
nearly half (the other
half is unexplored) the
surface area of the
planet Mercury.

6. Mercury StatisticsMercury Statistics
Diameter: 3,030 Miles
Distance from Sun: 35,983,095 miles
Revolution Period about
the Sun: 88 Days
Rotation Period about Axis: 58.85 Earth Days
Number of Moons: None

7. Mercury, The Innermost Planet
• Atmosphere is
blown away by
the Solar Wind
of the Sun. This
is because of:
– Low gravity
of mercury.
– And…

8. Mercury, The Innermost Planet
• The sodium and
oxygen particles
the blistering
solar wind kicks
up are the
primary
components of
Mercury's wispy
atmosphere, or
"exosphere,“

9. Information on MercuryInformation on Mercury
Mercury
A planet of extremes
• Mercury is a lump of rock,
barely larger than the
Moon, living under the
fierce heat of the burning
Sun.
• It experiences extremes
in temperature from over
400°C at noon to less
than -150°C at night.

10. Information on MercuryInformation on Mercury
• On the surface Mercury is
very similar to our Moon,
a battered world, scarred
by aeons of impacts by
meteorites.
• The surface is also
wrinkled, with great
ridges hundreds of
kilometers long called
scarps, which probably
appeared when Mercury
cooled and shrunk soon
after it formed.

11. • Inside of Mercury is
more like the Earth. It
has a core made of
iron, and the centre
may be molten, kept
hot by radiation deep
within the core.

12. 3:2 Orbital Resonance
• Mercury is tidally locked to the
Sun
– Similar to the way the Moon
is tidally locked with the
Earth
– After one orbit around the
Sun (88 days), the planet has
rotated on its axis 1.5 times
– It then takes two orbits for
Mercury to rotate three
times!

13. Artists rendition of MercuryArtists rendition of Mercury
• From Mercury, the Sun
appears two and a half
times larger than it does
on Earth.
• The sky would appear
black because there's
little atmospheric
scattering of light.
• One would be able to
see two bright "stars,"
possibly discernible as
cream-colored Venus and
blue-colored Earth.

14. MESSENGER,
launched Aug. 3,
2004, is only the
second U.S.
spacecraft sent
to the planet,
and it will be the
first to establish
an orbit.
Messenger will
enter Mercury
orbit on 30th
September 2009,
and complete its
mission one year
later.

15. Caloris Basin
• Early in Mercury’s history, a huge
impact occurred on the surface

16. Caloris Basin
• Formed an
impact site
known as the
CALORIS
BASIN

17. Caloris Basin
CALORIS BASIN
It is a Large Basin
that almost split
planet in two.
Planet hit with
a 60 mile
wide iron
Meteor.
Leaving the
LARGEST
CRATER IN
THE Solar
System

18. Roman GodRoman God
Mercury originated as the
Roman god of commerce
and was prayed to mainly by
merchants. His name comes
from the Latin word
"mercari" meaning to deal or
trade. Later he came to be
associated with the Greek
God Hermes, adding
responsibility for messages
to his duties.

19. Unit 38
Mercury
Copyright (c) The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

20. QUIZQUIZ
1. What is the Diameter of Mercury?
2. How long does Mercury take to go around the
Sun?
3. It is a lump of rock, barely larger than the
Moon, living under the fierce heat of the
burning Sun.
4. How many satellite does the Mercury have?
5. In what year did the first spacecraft visit
Mercury?
6. It is the spacecraft who took pictures on the
Mercury's surface?
7. What is the Day time temperature in
Mercury?
8. How far is Mercury from the Sun?
9. Mercury was named after the Roman God who
originally was based on the Greek God
_______________.
10. It is a Large Basin that almost split planet in
two.