Mercury – Nature Noon

Living On Mercury (What Would Life Be on Mercury?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Mercury. How about a black sky in the daytime? So if you want to know how life on Mercury might be, this article is for you. Let’s get started! What Would It Be Like To Live on Mercury? As most of us already know, living essentially anywhere besides Earth in our solar system would be extremely deadly. Let’s forget about that for a moment and assume that we have the technology and capabilities to do so. So, what would it be like to live on Mercury? Let’s find out! Mercury – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 35 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 3 min. Mass: 5% of Earth Width: 38% of Earth Gravity: 38% of Earth Length of Day: 1,408 hours (59 x Earth Day) Length of Year: 88 days (24% of 1 Earth year) Average Temp: 333º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: No Rings: No Your Typical Day on Mercury You would wake up, just like your Earth day. Except, when you woke up, you would only be about 2% of the way through the same day you went to sleep. This is because a Mercurial day is 59 times as long as one Earth day, or 1,400 hours. You decide to make some coffee and watch the sunrise on your porch. As opposed to the brief, sacred time that it takes for the Sun to rise on Earth, you would have a much different experience on this new planet. The Sun begins to rise and suddenly appears to come to a complete stop in the ski. After a while, it begins moving back in the opposite direction. Finally, it continues the other way on its original path and sets. You might be thinking that this actually sounds rather enjoyable. But, keep in mind that this sunrise would take over 170 Earth days because of the incredibly long day. Hope you made a large pot of coffee. Your Typical Night on Mercury As your freezing night begins, your sky would look identical to the way it did during the day (explained below), pitch black. The stars would certainly be bright and would not even twinkle once without a hazy atmosphere in your way. One large, noticeable difference would be that you have no moon to look at. In fact, you have no moons at all. If you’re looking to stay up late, you may want to keep in mind that midnight will not occur until almost 44 Earth days after the Sun has gone down. Your Typical Year on Mercury With Mercury’s low gravity, which is only around 38% of that on Earth, your first year would have some big upsides. For starters, you would be able to jump almost three times as high and lift three times as much. You would also weigh about one-third of your current weight on Earth without any exercise. With your new calendar year being only 88 days long, you would have four times as many birthdays. However, this would also make you four times as old. If you were 20 years old on Earth, you would be 85 years old on Mercury. Your Local Weather Forecast Mercury has essentially no atmosphere, which would make for very predictable, but brutal days and nights. For instance, without a thick atmosphere to scatter the Sun’s incoming light, your daytime skies would appear almost completely black, and stars would never twinkle. On most parts of the planet, your average temperatures would be around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After all, this new planet is only 35 million miles from the Sun, which is not far in cosmic terms. When the Sun finally sets, temperatures plummet very quickly to around -200 degrees Fahrenheit because there is no atmosphere to trap the heat. With the high temperatures, if you are hoping for a nice rainstorm, don’t hold your breath. With little to no atmosphere, you would never have rain, or snow, or hurricanes. You could, however, experience earthquakes, or Mercuryquakes rather, because as the planet’s molten core cools over time, it’s slowly breaking down and causing Mercury to shrink. So, it looks like you can cross off weather reporter during your new job search. It’s definitely going to be really hot, then really cold with a 0% chance of precipitation. For Sale! If 100-day sunrises, scorching days, frigid nights, and lots of birthday parties are what you seek, then Mercury would be a great location for you. Only two space missions have ever visited Mercury for what it’s worth, so you might want to do some research first before moving there. See What Life Would Be Like on Another Plant Jupiter Mars Moon Neptune Saturn Sun Uranus Venus

Astronomy

5 Fascinating Facts About Mercury

These are 10 fascinating facts about Mercury. Mercury is only slightly wider than the United States. So if you want to learn 5 fascinating facts about Mercury, then you’re in the right place. Let’s get started! 5 Mercury Facts Sitting in the solar system’s inner rings, nearly hidden in our Sun’s glare, is planet Mercury. And, being the solar system’s smallest planet, tiny Mercury holds loads of fascinating secrets. Let’s explore some planet Mercury facts: Mercury: Quick Facts DISTANCE FROM SUN: 35.98 million miles DIAMETER: 3,032 miles HOTTEST TEMPERATURE: 798º F COLDEST TEMPERATURE: -292º F MOONS: 0 #1 Mercury’s Name In Greek and Roman mythology, Mercury (aka Hermes) was the messenger of the Gods. In fact, often depicted with winged shoes, Mercury was fast. And, as we’ll learn below, planet Mercury is no slouch for speed either. #2 Mercury’s Size Even young children know that Mercury is small. But, how small? In fact, Mercury is only around 3,000 miles wide. In other words, only slightly wider than the United States. Furthermore, Mercury is only around 9,000 around, only 38% of Earth. Actually, even Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, is larger than Mercury. Now, since Mercury is smaller than some moons, you might be asking, “how is Mercury still a planet?” Indeed, Mercury still does meet the International Astronomical Union’s criteria for a planet. However, new definitions and requirements for planetary status are currently in the works, assuming the IAU agrees. #3 Mercury’s Temperature Lying a short 36 million miles from our Sun, Mercury should easily have the hottest temperatures, right? Ironically, no, Venus holds this title. However, Mercury still hosts some of our solar system’s most violent climates. In fact, the side of Mercury facing the Sun can roast at temperatures of 800º Fahrenheit! But, the side facing away can chill at a low -300º. Naturally, this may seem crazy and impossible. However, little Mercury’s atmosphere provides a simple explanation: #4 Mercury’s Atmosphere On Earth, we enjoy a mostly pleasant lifestyle underneath a protective atmosphere. Sadly, Mercury is not as fortunate, having nearly no atmosphere. As a result, our Sun’s deadly radiation pours onto the planet, all but scorching its small surface. And, living so close to our star means much stronger heat. Ouch! Whereas Mercury’s cooler side, facing away from the Sun, also suffers. In fact, no atmosphere also means being unable to trap heat. Therefore, all that brutal radiation from the Sun simply bounces right back out into space. Hence, sub-zero climates on much of Mercury. Finally, Mercury’s paper-thin atmosphere also means no attack prevention. Actually, like our Moon, Mercury’s surface is covered in craters. Throughout its almost 5-billion-year life, comets, asteroids, and other debris have pummeled the small world. #5 Mercury’s Orbit (Years & Days) One year on Earth totals 365 days. Everyone knows this. However, a single Mercury day lasts only 88 days. You see, being close to our Sun makes for shorter years. Plus, as Newton taught us, the closer together, two bodies are, the faster their gravity causes them to travel. Therefore, the Sun’s tremendous gravity makes little Mercury race around. Also, compared to our 24-hour Earth day, Mercury only spins around its axis once every 59 hours. In other words, Mondays would be truly awful.