Transcript Mercury

Group “Catch a Star” 2003
Andreia Nascimento, 14 years
Raquel Soares , 12 years
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
1
Past
phobos.physics.uiowa.edu
From a Solar Nebula
to the Solar System
cosmos
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
2
Future
The Sun will “eat”
Mercury when become
a Red Giant Star at the
end of its life
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
3
Mythology
In Roman mythology Mercury is the god of
commerce, travel and thievery, the Roman
counterpart of the Greek god Hermes, the
messenger of the Gods.
The planet probably received this name
because it moves so quickly across the sky.
He was seen as the god of the twilight or of
the wind.
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
4
Main characteristics
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. The orbit, or
path, it takes around the sun is not in a circle like Earth.
The path it takes is called an ellipse, which is like a circle
that has been stretched out. For this reason, the distance
from Mercury to the Sun varies from about 27 million
miles at its closest, to about 41 million miles at its
furthest.
Mercury races around the Sun faster than any other
planet. A Mercurian year (the time it takes for the planet
to go once around the Sun), is only 88 Earth days
Mercury is about a third of the size of Earth, yet its
density is comparable to that of Earth. This indicates
that Mercury has a large core roughly the size of Earth's
moon or about 75% of the planet's radius. The core is
likely composed of radius. 60 to 70% iron by mass
Temperature variations on Mercury are the most extreme in the solar
system ranging from 90 K to 700 K
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
5
Get information about
Mariner 10 eventually made three flybys of
Mercury from 1974 to 1975 before running out
of attitude control gas. The probe revealed
Mercury as a heavily cratered world with a
mass much greater than thought.
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
6
Make an observation
Transit of Mercury
May 7th, 2003
Cascais - Portugal
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
7
Mercury and Moon
Mercury’s diameter is 40% larger than the Moon
Mercury, like Moon is pocked with craters, contains hugh multi-ring basins,
and many lava flows. The craters range in size from 100 meters (the
smallest resolvable feature on Mariner 10 images) to 1,300 kilometers.
Mercury never received the visit of a Man
October 2003
Escola Secundária da Cidadela, Cascais
Portugal
8