Mercury planet is the smallest and hottest planet, which is so close to the Sun in the solar system. This Planet is the first Planet from the Sun, which is little larger than the moon of the earth.
Features
Mercury has a diameter of 4878Km (3031miles), that rotates around the Sun in an orbit in 88 earth days. A day on the Mercury is equal to the 59 Earth days. This day is the time taken by the Mercury to spin or rotate for one time, with respect to the stars. This planet stays at a distance of 57.9 million Km from the Sun and a distance of 77 million Km from the earth.
Structure of Mercury
Mercury has a solid strong surface like Earth, so it is called the Terrestial Planet. This Planet is not visible most of the time, then seen only at the dusk and twilight time, because of the glare of the sun. On seeing this, the Greek gave the name Apollo to the dusk and the name Hermes to the twilight , thinking that there were two planets. It takes a time of 175.97 earth days to complete a cycle of day-night on the Mercury.
Mercury is the planet that has the core radius of 1800 to 1900Km and the second highest density of 5.43g/cm3. In the core radius, 42% is its mass with the high amount of iron. Then the gravitational field in this Planet is weak because of the thin crust and the large iron core. This Planet is 60% smaller than our Earth and 1404Km bigger than the moon.
Atmosphere of Mercury
Mercury does not have any atmosphere or climate, as the heat burns almost all the debris and so does not fall on the surface. Then the thin atmosphere contains sodium(Na), Hydrogen(H), Potassium(K), Helium(He) and Oxygen(O). But this Planet contains a terrain, which might have come due to the effect of the meteor with a size(imaginable size) of 97Km. This Planet is a dead Planet, in which the solar wind and the micrometeoroids effects form the Mercury’s exosphere.
Climate on Mercury
Since there is no atmosphere, the space debris bombards on the surface. Then the temperatures may vary from 427 to -173ºC at the day and the night respectively, since this Planet does not have any cover from the solar rays which comes to this Planet regularly.
Images of Mercury
In 1974, for the first time, Mariner 10 which was the American probe had taken images of the Planet’s surface. It had also taken the image of the environment . But those imaging device was not accurate and that could capture only the 1/3 percent of the whole Planet. In 2008, the launch of the second probe Messenger, by the NASA had made the three flybys. Then it had sent the images of the surface of the Planet that gave the whole mapping of the surface of this Planet Mercury.
Magnetic Field of Mercury
As per the figures of the Mariner10, this magnetic field is nearly the 1.1% the strength of the Earth. Then the strength of the magnetic field is nearly 300nT. Similar to that of the Earth, the magnetic field of the Mercury is dipolar in nature. In this Planet, the magnetic field is produced by the Dynamo effect, like the generation of the Magnetic field Earth. Due to the circulation of the iron rich liquid core in this Planet, there exists the Dynamo effect.
Position in the solar system: First Planet in the solar system.
Features: Shape – spherical; Core diameter – 1800 to 1900 Km.
1 Day Rotation by Mercury – 88 Earth Days .