Distance from Mercury to Sun - 58 million km.
The year on Mercury lasts 88 days - during this time he makes a full turn around the sun. But the "day" on Mercury lasts almost two - it rotates very slowly.
The surface of Mercury is covered as the lunar, and consists of a very sparse helium.
Primary data about Mercury
Greek astronomers initially called Stelbon Planet ("Brilliant"), and the name in honor of the Greek and Roman God was entrusted to the era of the new era, the name of the Greek and Roman God is the patron of magic and, the Messenger of the Gods of Olympians and the Head of the Souls of the Died in the Outdoor world.
At the same time, no traces were noticed, in addition to multi-kilometer escarps - ledges, which were formed as a result of shifts of some surface sections relative to others.
However, the cause of the occurrence of escarps can not at all volcanoes. The proximity to the hot sun, slow rotation of the planet and the almost complete absence of the atmosphere lead to the fact that on Mercury, the most sharp temperature differences in the solar system reaching 600 ° C are observed.
So, at midnight, the surface is cooled to -180 °, and at noon it is raised to + 500 °. It is difficult to find that for a long time to withstand such differences.
However, the similarity with the moon is incomplete. Large craters are found at Mercury much less often than on the moon. The largest of them has a diameter of 625 km and is named after the German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven.
There are no signs of erosion of surface layers there, and this means that in the entire history of Mercury, it has never been a dense atmosphere.
The brightest point on the surface of the planet is a ceper crater with a diameter of 60 km. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it was formed quite recently and is not covered with layers and crushed mountain.
The commensity of the duration of the day and year on Mercury is exceptional for the solar system and leads to unique phenomena. The orbit of Mercury is quite elongated, and on Kepler, in those areas that closer to the sun, the planet moves faster.
And the rotation of Mercury around the axis is a constant speed, and therefore then "lags behind", then "ahead of" the moments of passage.
As a result, the sun in the sky of Mercury stops and begins to move in the opposite direction - from west to east. This effect is sometimes referred to as the "effect of Joshua" - by the name of the biblical character who stopped the movement of the sun, to finish the battle before the sunset.
\u003e\u003e Rotation of Mercury
Features rotation of Mercury Around the Sun: Speed, period, how much planet spends time in orbit in the solar system, duration of the day and year with a photo.
Of all the planets movement and period rotation of Mercury is the most unusual. The fact is that the process of axial revolutions itself is slow. If the axis of rotation of Mercury takes 175.97 days, then the flight of the orbit around the Sun is 88 days. That is, the day lasts 1.999 times more than a year. Equatorial high-speed indicator - 10.892 km / h. This leads to sunny days, where 58.647 days is spent on the turnover.
If you visited the planet, we could watch how the sun rises to half and delayed at one point all day. This happens 4 days before the perigel, due to the fact that the orbital speed exceeds the corner, and the star launches the opposite movement.
Rotation of Mercury around the Sun
Let's consider the rotation of Mercury around the sun. During one of the Mercurian years, the average solar movement reaches two degrees per day in the Western orientation, which is why the day increases three times than rotation. Depending on the year, the movement will change. And the moment of Afhelia it will slow down and give 3 degrees per day. But the sun will also slow down and suspend its shift to the West, will switch east and will return to the Western direction. The inclination of the axis of rotation of Mercury is demonstrated below.
It should be understood that at the time of the change of solar speed, the star will increase in the observed sizes, and then decrease.
On the peculiarities and speed of rotation of the planet did not know until 1965. Then it was believed that everything depends on the planetary tides to the sun. The breakthrough made Soviet researchers, who in 1962 managed to beat off radio signals from the surface of Mercury. Later, the Americans used Arecibo and confirmed the results, as well as the period of rotation, reaching 58.647 days.
So, what is the planet Mercury and what is so special in it, which distinguishes it from other planets? Probably, first of all, it is worth listed the most obvious thing that can be easily leaning from different sources, but without which a person will be difficult to draw up a common picture.
Currently (after Pluto was "destructed" into the dwarf planets) Mercury is the smallest of the eight planets of our solar system. Also, the planet is at the closest distance from the Sun, in connection with which the turn around around our shone is much faster than the rest of the planets. Apparently, it is the last quality and served as a reason to call it in honor of the most rapid messenger of the gods named Mercury, an outstanding character from the legends and myths of ancient Rome, which has a phenomenal speed.
By the way, it was the ancient Greek and ancient Roman astronomers who were more than once called Mercury as a "morning" and "evening" star, although for the most part they knew that both names correspond to the same space object. Already then an ancient Greek scientist Heraklit indicated that Mercury and Venus make their rotation around the Sun, and not around.
Mercury today
Nowadays, scientists know that due to the immediate proximity of Mercury to the Sun, the temperature on its surface is capable of reaching up to 450 degrees Celsius. But the lack of an atmosphere on this planet does not allow Mercury to hold heat and on the shadow side the surface temperature is capable of sharply drop to 170 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature difference in the day and at night on Mercury was the highest in the solar system - more than 600 degrees Celsius.
On its size Mercury a little more moon, but it is much harder to our natural satellite.
Despite the fact that the planet was known to people since time immemorial, the first image of Mercury was obtained only in 1974, when the "Mariner 10" spacecraft handed over the first images on which some features of the relief were able to disassemble. After that, the long-term active phase began to study this cosmic body and several decades, in March 2011, the orbits of Mercury reached the spacecraft called Messenger, after that, finally, humanity received answers to many questions.
The atmosphere of Mercury is so subtle that it practically does not exist, and the volume of about 10 is fifteenth times less than the dense layers of the atmosphere of the Earth. At the same time, the vacuum in the atmosphere of this planet is much closer to a true vacuum, if you compare it with any other vacuum created on Earth with the help of technical means.
There are two explanations of the absence of an atmosphere on Mercury. First, it is the density of the planet. It is believed that having the density of only 38% of the earth density, Mercury is simply unable to maintain most of the atmosphere. Secondly, the proximity of Mercury to the Sun. Such a close distance to our star makes the planet most susceptible to the influence of solar winds that demolish the last remains of what can be called the atmosphere.
Nevertheless, as far as a meager was not an atmosphere on this planet, it still is. According to the NASA space agency, in its chemical composition, it consists of 42% oxygen (O2), 29% sodium, 22% hydrogen (H2), 6% of helium, 0.5% potassium. The remaining insignificant part is argon molecules, carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, xenon, crypton, neon, calcium (Ca, Ca +) and magnesium.
It is believed that the sparseness of the atmosphere is due to the presence of extreme temperatures on the surface of the planet. The lowest temperature may be order -180 ° C, and the highest is approximately 430 ° C. As mentioned above, Mercury has the largest temperature range on the surface among the planets in the solar system. The extreme highs present on the side facing the Sun is the result of an insufficient atmospheric layer, which is not able to absorb solar radiation. By the way, the extremal cold on the shadow side of the planet is due to the same. The lack of a significant atmosphere does not allow the planet to hold solar radiation and heat very quickly leaves the surface, freely leaving the outer space.
Until 1974, the surface of Mercury remained largely a mystery. Observations for this cosmic body from the ground were very difficult because of the proximity of the planet to the sun. Mercury was considered only before dawn or immediately after sunset, but on Earth at this time, the visibility line is significantly limited to too dense layers of the atmosphere of our planet.
But in 1974, after a magnificent three-time span on the surface of Mercury, Mariner 10 spacecraft, the first fairly clear photographs of the surface were obtained. Surprisingly, despite significant time limits, during the Mariner 10 mission, almost half of the entire surface of the planet was photographed. As a result of the analysis of these observations, scientists managed to reveal three essential features of the surface of Mercury.
The first feature is a huge number of shock crater, which gradually formed on the surface for billions of years. The so-called Kaloris pool is the largest of the craters, its diameter is 1.550 km.
Second feature - the presence of plains between the crater. It is believed that these smooth surfaces of the surface were created as a result of the movement of lava flows on the planet in the past.
And finally, the third feature are rocks scattered over the entire surface and reaching from several tens to several thousand kilometers in length and from one hundred meters to two kilometers in height.
Scientists especially emphasize the contradiction of the first two features. The presence of lava fields indicates that the historical past planet had no time active volcanic activity. However, the quantity and age of crater, on the contrary, suggest that Mercury has been geologically passive for a very long time.
But the third distinguishing feature of the surface of Mercury causes no less interest. It turned out that the hill is formed by the activity of the core of the planet, as a result of which the so-called "releasing" of the bark occurs. Such releasing on Earth is associated, as a rule, with displacement of tectonic plates, while the loss of stability of the crust of Mercury occurs due to the reduction of its kernel, which is gradually compressed. The processes taking place with the core of the planet lead to its compression. The latest calculations of scientists indicate that the diameter of Mercury has decreased by more than 1.5 kilometers.
The structure of Mercury
Mercury consists of three separate layers: bark, mantle and kernels. The average thickness of the planet's bark, according to different estimates, ranges from 100 to 300 kilometers. The presence of previously mentioned convexities on the surface, according to its form resembling the earth, indicates that despite sufficient hardness, the bark itself is very fragile.
The estimated thickness of the Mercury mantle is about 600 kilometers, which indicates that it is relatively thin. Scientists believe that it was not always so fine and in the past there was a collision of the planet with a huge planemeal, which led to the loss of a substantial mass of the mantle.
The core of Mercury became the subject for very many studies. It is believed that its diameter is 3,600 kilometers, and it has some unique properties. The most interesting property is its density. Considering that the planetary diameter of Mercury is 4878 kilometers (it is less than a titanium satellite, the diameter of which is 5125 kilometers and a ganamed satellite with a diameter of 5270 kilometers), the density of the planet itself is 5540 kg / m3 at a weight of 3.3 x 1023 kilograms.
While there is only one theory, which tried to explain this feature of the core of the planet, and questioned that the Mercury core is actually solid. Measuring the features of the rebound of radio waves from the surface of the planet, the group of planet holders came to the conclusion that the core of the planet is actually liquid and this explains much.
Orbit and Rotation of Mercury
Mercury is much closer to the Sun than any other planet in our system and, accordingly, it takes the shortest time to turn around the orbit. The year on Mercury is only about 88 terrestrial days.
An important feature of the orbit of Mercury is its high eccentricity compared to other planets. In addition, from all planetary orbits, the orbit of Mercury is least like a circle.
This eccentricity, along with the absence of a substantial atmosphere, explains why on the surface of Mercury is possible the widest variation of extreme temperatures in the solar system. Simply put, the surface of Mercury is much stronger thanks when the planet is in the perihelials than in the apherals, since the difference in the distance between these dots is too large.
The orbit of Mercury itself is an excellent example of one of the leading processes of modern physics. We are talking about the process called precession, which explains the displacement of the orbit of Mercury regarding the Sun over time.
Despite the fact that Newtonian mechanics (i.e., classical physics) predicts the speeds of this precession very detail, the exact values \u200b\u200bwere not identified. This has become a real problem for astronomers at the end of the nineteenth, early twentieth century. In order to explain the difference between theoretical interpretations and actual observations, many concepts were compiled. According to one of the theories, it was also suggested that there is an unknown planet, the orbit of which is closer to the Sun than that of Mercury.
However, the most believable explanation was found after the general theory of the relativity of Einstein was published. Based on this theory, scientists, finally, were able to describe the orbital precession of Mercury with sufficient accuracy.
Thus, for a long time it was believed that the spin orbital resonance of Mercury (the number of revolutions in orbit) was 1: 1, but in the end, it was proved that in fact it is 3: 2. It is thanks to this resonance on the planet there is a phenomenon that is impossible on Earth. If the observer was in Mercury, he could see that the sun rises to the highest point in the sky, and after "turns on" the opposite and sinks in the same direction where it rose.
- Mercury was known to humanity from ancient times. Despite the fact that the exact date of its detection is unknown, the first mentions of the planet are believed to appear about 3000 BC. At the Sumerians.
- The year at Mercury is 88 days of earthly days, but Mercury's Day is 176 Earth days. Mercury is almost completely blocked by the sun with tidal forces, but over time makes slow rotation of the planet around its axis.
- Mercury rotates so quickly around the Sun that some early civilizations believed that this is actually two different stars, one of which appears in the morning, and the other in the evening.
- Having a diameter of 4.879 km Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, and is also one of five planets, which can be seen in the night sky with a naked eye.
- After the land, Mercury is the second on the density of the planet in the solar system. Despite the small dimensions, Mercury is very dense, as it consists mainly of heavy metals and stone. This allows him to attribute it to the planets of the earth group.
- Astronomers did not understand that Mercury is a planet until 1543, when Copernicus created a heliocentric model of the solar system, according to which the rotation of the planets occurs around the Sun.
- The gravitational forces of the planet make up 38% of the gravitational forces of the Earth. This means that Mercury is not able to hold the atmosphere that he has, and that that remains blown away by the sunshine. Nevertheless, all the same solar winds attract gas particles to Mercury, dust from micrometeorites and form a radioactive decay that in some kind forms an atmosphere.
- Mercury has no satellites or rings due to its low strength of attraction and absence of the atmosphere.
- There was a theory that between the orbits of Mercury and the Sun, there is no other planet of the volcano, but its presence has not been proven.
- The orbit of Mercury is an ellipse, not a circle. It has the most eccentric orbit in the solar system.
- Mercury is only the second maximum temperatures among the planets of the solar system. First place occupies
The group of astrophysics from the Paris University named after Didro offered a hypothesis, which explains why Mercury revolves around the Sun at all as he should have done it. From their point of view, this is to blame "Children's injury" - a collision of this small planet with large asteroids at the dawn of the formation of the solar system.
The smallest planet of the solar system of Mercury (and so it became when in 2006 Pluto was deprived of the proud title of the planet) even moreover ... Wrong. Of course, this was to be expected from the heavenly body with a similar name, because, as we remember, the Merkuria's Bldg of Mercury always was always distinguished by strange, and at times even just asocial behavior. However, some "revits" of this planet simply amaze the imagination of scientists. And not all of them can be explained from the point of view of astrophysics.
For example, calculations and observation data said quite a long time that the day on Mercury should be equal to year. Let me remind you that this closest to the sun planet makes his turnover around the shone for 87.97 terrestrial day. And the turn around his axis, he committed, as astrophysics believed, about the same. That is why many thought Mercury constantly turned to the Sun of the same side.
Actually, no one was surprised by anyone, because at such a proximity to the Sun, it cannot be different (and the maximum distance from Mercury to the shine is 57.91 million kilometers), if we assume that the orbit is the same as All other planets. A huge star by means of tidal strength, selecting the moment of the amount of movement, slows down the rotation of a small planet around its own axis, so that day on Mercury is equal to the year.
It should be noted that this error was due to the fact that the most favorable conditions for observation of Mercury are repeated through a period of approximately equal to a six-time period of rotation of this celestial body (352 days). Because of this, it turned out that at different times there was approximately the same section of the surface of Mercury. The true state of affairs was revealed only in the mid-1960s, when the planet radar was carried out.
And here they were sprinkled by surprises - it turned out that in fact for the year Mercury turns around its axis by half the turnover (and not one). And for two turns around the sun, the planet makes exactly three turns around their axis. In addition, the orbit in Mercury is a very non-standard - precession, that is, a phenomenon in which the moment of the body impulse changes its direction in the space at the action of the moment of external force, the perihelium (the nearest point of the orbit) Mercury is 5600 corner seconds per century. Although, according to the calculations of the influence of all other celestial bodies on the planet, it should be no more than 5557 angular seconds per century.
That is, someone adds a displacement for three seconds in a hundred years. But who is not clear, because Mercury's satellites have no satellites (although scientists suspected the existence of a nearby volcano hypothetical planet, but they did not find it). That is, such a body that would "pull out the" messenger of the gods "on such a non-standard orbit, no. But why doesn't he fly around the sun as it should be?
Before the astrophysicists believed that the liquid iron core of the planet was to blame - periodically emerging currents in it from the fact that the planet moves around the shine unevenly, "knocks out" the Mercury with the "Way of the True" (and the rate of orbital movement "of the Baznik Gods" is constantly changing, The speed of rotation around its axis is always constant - as a result, the observer on the surface of the planet may seem that at times the sun in the sky of Mercury stops and begins to move in the opposite direction - from the west to the east). However, a recent group of astrophysics under the leadership of the Evening Mark from the Paris University named after Didro offered another, a very original hypothesis explaining the modern orbit of Mercury.
According to French astrophysics, which made this "black case" asteroid should have led the crater with a diameter of 250 to 450 kilometers, not less. And there are such notes on Mercury - according to the pictures of the "messenger", there are about 40 craters on its surface, having similar dimensions. And there are also about fourteen, the sizes of which even exceed the estimated limits of the evening - among the indicated "pits" come across and such, whose diameter is equal to 650 and even 1,100 kilometers.
Further, scientists have established where an asteroid, hit Mercury and orbit. According to their calculations, "notifications" from these aliens were to be closer to the poles (after all, when Mercury rotated on the "normal orbit", for such attacks it was precisely the amateur zones). And the astrophysics once again carefully studied the pictures of the Mercury surface, obtained by the Cosmic probes "Mariner" and "Messenger".
The result was justified by all expectations - according to the photographs, in the equator and the territories adjacent to it, large craters were practically absent (this, by the way, confirmed that once Mercury rotated on the "normal" orbit around the Sun). But the largest number of traces of the collisions of the "Bulletin of the Gods" and asteroids were located in the indoor areas. And, accordingly, the largest crater was also there.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
This planet received its name in honor of God Mercury - the Bulletin of the Gods, the patron of commerce and travelers - because of its high speed of rotation around the Sun.
Mercury moves faster than all planets - 174,000 km / h.
Makes a full turn around the Sun for 88 (87.97) Earth days on an elongated orbit, sometimes removing from the Sun to 70 million km, while the smallest distance to the Sun is 46 million km.
And the duration of the star day at Mercury (one turn around its axis) is 58.65 terrestrial days.
Quickly rushing in orbit, Mercury is lazily turns around its axis. For one Mercurian year, the planet has time to turn around its axis on a half turn.
The average period of time between the two upper climax of the Sun on this planet is 176 days. Interestingly, when it is near the perihelium (the next distance from the sun), the sun for the observer on the surface of the planet can move in the opposite direction for 8 days.
Distance from Mercury to Earth Changes from 82 to 217 million km.
The planet is visible to the naked eye.
For several days, when observed from the Earth, Mercury changes its position relative to the Sun from the West (morning visibility) to the east (evening visibility).
Axis of rotation of Mercury And his orbit is practically perpendicular.
Mercury is so small that its mass (3.3 · 1023 kg) is 1/20 mass of the Earth.
The radius of Mercury is A total of 2439.7 ± 1.0 km, which is less than the satellite radius of Jupiter Gamed and Saturnian Saturn Titan.
Proximity to the Sun and Pretty Slow Rotation of the Planet, as well as an extremely rescued atmosphere, lead to the fact that Mercury has the most sharp temperature differences in the solar system.
The temperature on the sunny side of the planet is 420 ° C.
The temperature on the dark side is lowered to -190 ° C.
The average density of Mercury is 5.43 g / cm³ (slightly less density of the Earth). This density indicates an increased content in its depths of metals.
The planet has a practically spherical shape. Acceleration of free fall on its surface is G \u003d 3.72 m / s2.
Mercury, along with Venus, Earth and Mars refers to the planets of the Earth Group.
When the spacecraft "Mariner-10" handed over the first pictures of Mercury from a close distance, astronomers splashed their hands: there was a second moon in front of them! The surface of Mercury turned out to be a dilated mesh from the craters of different sizes, just as the surface of the moon. Their size distribution was also similar to the lunar. Most of the craters were formed as a result of the fall of meteorites.
Mercury is very similar to the moon.
It turned out that in Mercury, like on the moon, there are two main types of terrain - the analogues of the lunar continents and the seas. Mainland areas are the most ancient geological formations of Mercury, consisting of sections of areas, mountainous and hilly formations, intercrateric plains. The smooth plains of Mercury are considered an analogues of the Merkuria, which are younger in age than continents, somewhat darker than the mainland formations, but still not so dark as the lunar seas and their significantly less than on the moon. Such sites on Mercury are concentrated in the area of \u200b\u200bthe heat of the heat - (diameter of 1300 km).
Pictures and map of Mercury
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