Mercury (planet)
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
| Mercury | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mercury, from reprocessed data from Mariner 10. The smooth band is an area of which no images were taken. | |
| Known to the ancients | |
| Name origin | Roman messenger god and prince of thieves |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Celestial class | Planet |
| Primary | Sun |
| Order from primary | 1 |
| Perihelion | 46,000,000 km0.307 AU 28,583,074.843 mi |
| Aphelion | 70,000,000 km0.468 AU 43,495,983.457 mi |
| Semi-major axis | 57,909,175 km0.387 AU 35,983,093.111 mi |
| Titius-Bode prediction | 0.4 AU |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.20563069 |
| Sidereal year | 87.96934 da0.241 a |
| Synodic year | 115.8776 da0.317 a |
| Avg. orbital speed | 47.36 km/s170,496 km/h 29.428 mi/s 105,941.303 mph |
| Inclination | 7.00487°0.122 rad 7.783 grad to the ecliptic |
| Rotational characteristics | |
| Sidereal day | 58.6462 da1,407.509 h |
| Solar day | 175.93868 da4,222.528 h |
| Axial tilt | 0°0 rad 0 grad |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mass | 3.30 * 1023 kg0.0552 M⊕ 1.73803e-4 M♃ |
| Mean density | 5427 kg/m³5.427 g/ml 338.797 lb/ft³ |
| Mean radius | 2439.7 km1,515.959 mi |
| Surface gravity | 2.78 m/s²9.121 ft/s² 0.283 g |
| Escape speed | 4.25 km/s15,300 km/h 2.641 mi/s 9,506.979 mph |
| Surface area | 75,000,000 km²28,957,661.891 mi² 0.147 A⊕ 0.00121 A♃ |
| Minimum temperature | 90 K-183.15 °C -297.67 °F 162 °R |
| Mean temperature | 452 K178.85 °C 353.93 °F 813.6 °R |
| Maximum temperature | 700 K426.85 °C 800.33 °F 1,260 °R |
| Number of moons | 0 |
| Composition | Iron, Silicate |
| Color | #AA6633 |
Mercury is the closest to the sun of the eight planets in the solar system, having an average distance of 57,909,175 km (35,983,095 miles). Being only 2,439.7 km (1,516.0 miles), it is the smallest planet following the reclassification of Pluto. It completes a full revolution around the sun every 88 days, and its high speed (it is faster than any of the other planets) is possibly responsible for its receiving the name of the messenger god Mercury. Since the planet’s greatest angular separation from the sun is a mere 28.3 degrees, it can only be seen in the morning or evening twilight.
Mercury is inclined 7.00487° to the ecliptic and 3.38° to the equator of the Sun.
Mercury has no known moons.
The first modern probe to study Mercury was Mariner 10, and it was able to map only 40%-45% of the surface. NASA recently launched a second probe, called MESSENGER, which has already made one close flyby of Mercury (January 14, 2008) and is scheduled to insert itself into orbit around Mercury in 2011 after several more flybys.
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Orbital oddity
The perihelion of Mercury precesses by 5600 arc-seconds per century, which is 43 arc-seconds per century more than Newtonian physics alone would predict from the respective masses of Mercury, the Sun, and the other planets. This precession was well-known even in the nineteenth century. Astronomers of the period hypthesized either an asteroid belt or another planet (which they named Vulcan) inside Mercury's orbit. Albert Einstein proposed a second-order correction to Mercury's orbit, based on his general theory of relativity. The correction accounted exactly for the 43 arc-seconds of precession and obviated the need to look for any unseen asteroids or innermost planet.[1][2][3]
Magnetic Field
A curiosity of the planet is its magnetic field, which is about 1% that of Earth's. Scientists were perplexed to discover its existence, speculating that planet's outer core consisted of liquid iron. However, because it is relatively small and hot, such an outer core would long ago have expired. Thus, according to current scientific understandings, the existence of Mercury's magnetic field supports a young-earth position, not evolution.[4][5]
Gallery
 Mariner 10's first image of Mercury acquired on March 24, 1974 |
 MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury showing previously unseen surface, January 14, 2008 |
Related References
- ↑ Hartnett, John. Starlight, Time and the New Physics. Creation Book Publishers, 2007, pp. 34-36. ISBN 9780949906687.
- ↑ Wudka, Jose. "Precession of the perihelion of Mercury." September 24, 1998. Accessed April 17, 2008.
- ↑ "Mercury: Mercury in tests of relativity." In "Mercury," Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 17 April 2008
- ↑ Psarris, Spike, Our Solar System: Evidence for Design, Seattle Creation Conference, 2006.
- ↑ Franco, Lucia M. "Lecture 10.1: Mercury." Astronomy 100 at Indiana University Northwest, Indiana University, 1996. Accessed April 17, 2008.
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See Also
| Apoapsis | 70,000,000 km (0.468 AU, 43,495,983.457 mi) + |
| Axial tilt | 0 rad (0 °, 0 grad) + |
| Color | #AA6633 + |
| Composition | Iron, Silicate + |
| Escape speed | 4.25 km/s (15,300 km/h, 2.641 mi/s, 9,506.979 mph) + |
| Inclination | 0.122 rad (7.005 °, 7.783 grad) + |
| Maximum temperature | 700 K (426.85 °C, 800.33 °F, 1,260 °R) + |
| Mean radius | 2,439.7 km (1,515.959 mi) + |
| Mean temperature | 452 K (178.85 °C, 353.93 °F, 813.6 °R) + |
| Member of | Planet + |
| Minimum temperature | 90 K (-183.15 °C, -297.67 °F, 162 °R) + |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.206 + |
| Orbital speed | 47.36 km/s (170,496 km/h, 29.428 mi/s, 105,941.303 mph) + |
| Order | 1 + |
| Periapsis | 46,000,000 km (0.307 AU, 28,583,074.843 mi) + |
| Planet density | 5,427 kg/m³ (5.427 g/ml, 338.797 lb/ft³) + |
| Planet mass | 3.3e+23 kg (0.0552 M⊕, 1.73803e-4 M♃) + |
| Planet surface area | 75,000,000 km² (28,957,661.891 mi², 0.147 A⊕, 0.00121 A♃) + |
| Primary | Sun + |
| Satellites | 0 + |
| Semi-major axis | 57,909,175 km (0.387 AU, 35,983,093.111 mi) + |
| Sidereal day | 1,407.509 h (58.646 da) + |
| Sidereal period | 87.969 da (0.241 a) + |
| Solar day | 4,222.528 h (175.939 da) + |
| Surface gravity | 2.78 m/s² (9.121 ft/s², 0.283 g) + |
| Synodic period | 115.878 da (0.317 a) + |
| Titius-Bode prediction | 0.4 AU + |
Categories: Astronomy | Solar system | Planet | Mercury
