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Mercury the iron planet
Mercury is the smallest major planet in the solar system whose
iron and nickel core is almost as big than the planet itself.
Mercury has scorching hot days but freezing cold nights.
Mercury is the hottest planet after Venus.
STATISTICS:
Origin of name: Mercurius, messenger of the Roman Gods.
Discovered: Known since antiquity.
Distance from Sun:36 million miles.
Diameter:3,032 million miles.
Mass:5% of the Earths Mass.
Moons: 0.
Length of a year: 88 Earth days.
Length of a day: 176 Earth days.
Avg.surface temp: 167 ºC (333ºF).
HISTORY: About 4 billion years ago, in the early years of the solar
system, the young Mercury surface was punctured with impact
craters. Lava flooded out from the core to form a vast
majority of plains giving the planet the appearance that
resembles our moon. With no wind or rain Mercury hasn't
changed much since.
MISSIONS AND FUTURE MISSIONS: Launched in 2004, space
probe Messenger set out on a journey to Mercury in 2008
and flied around the planet 3 times and will (in 2011) enter
Mercury's orbit.
A new mission of the Bepi Colombo is due to launch between
2010 and 2012; the mission will consist of two identical orbiters
and for the first time possibly a launcher.
STAR FACTS:
Mercury is the least explored planet in the inner solar system.
Despite being the planet closest to the Sun, Mercury is not the
warmest. Rather, Venus is warmer and Mercury can be one of
the coldest planets in the Solar System.
Mercury's core is bigger than our moon.
Many of Mercury's craters are named after famous musicians
and artists so you would find Mozart and Beethoven.
If you put lead onto Mercury it would melt like ice-cream on a
hot day.
60% of Mercury is covered with craters.
The temperature on Mercury can go as high as 450 ºC and can
go as low as -180 ºC.
THE ALMIGHTY CRASH!!!!
Mercury's largest known feature Caloris,is a huge crater that
the State of Texas can fit comfortably in it, the Coloris was
formed by a huge object smashing into Mercury about 3.9
billion years ago.
PICTURES
Written by: Erika Fortunati