Mercury

 __**MERCURY**__ Zachary R.  and Katelyn R.

 __**Introduction**__   Mercury is the first planet as well as the smallest planet in the solar system. It's the planet that's closest to the sun and is one of the hottest planets in the solar system.  Since the temperatures on Mercury can be as cold as -183 degrees Celsius and up to 427 degrees Celsius the planet is not suitable for human life.  Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 days. The planet's name comes from the Romans who named it after the Roman god Mercury who was the messenger of the gods. Mercury is one of the four terrestrial planets and has a rocky body like earth. Mercury can only be seen in morning or evening twilight. Even though Mercury is earth-like it does not have any water on the surface of the planet. In some ways Mercury is similar to earth's moon. It has a large amount of craters on the surface. There are no natural satellites surrounding the planet and there is no significant atmosphere that covers the planet.

= = = <span style="color: rgb(16, 28, 117); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">**__What we know about Mercury__** =
 * <span style="color: rgb(228, 12, 12)"><span style="color: rgb(239, 6, 6)"><span style="color: rgb(217, 13, 13)"><span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(236, 9, 9)">Mercury is closest planet to the sun.
 * <span style="color: rgb(239, 6, 6)"><span style="color: rgb(217, 13, 13)"><span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(228, 12, 12)">One year on Mercury is 88 earth days.
 * <span style="color: rgb(217, 13, 13)"><span style="color: rgb(216, 14, 14)"><span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(239, 6, 6)">Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.
 * <span style="color: rgb(216, 14, 14)"><span style="color: rgb(220, 9, 9)"><span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(217, 13, 13)">Mercury is the planet in the solar system.
 * <span style="color: rgb(220, 9, 9)"><span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(216, 14, 14)">Mercury is named after a Roman god.
 * <span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(220, 9, 9)">Mercury is one of the four terrestrial Planets in the solar system.
 * <span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(226, 8, 8)">Mercury orbits the sun.
 * <span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(230, 10, 10)">Mercury is one of the hottest planets.
 * <span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(178, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(236, 9, 9)">Mercury has a rough and rocky texture.
 * <span style="color: rgb(219, 10, 10)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 133, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(243, 18, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 15, 15)"><span style="color: rgb(234, 42, 42)"><span style="color: rgb(245, 10, 23)">Mercury has no water

=<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(27, 172, 67); font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center"> **__What we want to know about Mercury__** = **<span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)"><span style="color: rgb(230, 113, 5)">**<span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Mercury's discovery date is unknown today. Therefore, it was discovered by ancients. ** <span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar System Exploration: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Facts
 * How and when was Mercury discovered? <span style="color: rgb(237, 137, 38)">

<span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">The mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to visit Mercury. They mapped 45% of the surface. Latest news says that the planet will soon be studied by [|NASA's MESSENGER]spacecraft. ** <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm
 * How has Mercury been studied by NASA?



<span style="color: rgb(250, 144, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Temperatures on Mercury can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but the planet has no atmosphere to keep that heat during the night. Therefore, at nighttime, temperatures can drop to -280 degrees Fahrenheit. ** <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm
 * What is the average temperature during the day? at night?

**<span style="color: rgb(248, 105, 18)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 212)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 160, 0)"><span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)"> Mercury is different from other terrestrial planets because it has many craters on the surface. Mercury is also smaller than all the other terrestrial planets. It has pretty much no atmosphere at all while the other 3 terrestrial planets have a somewhat noticeable atmosphere. The little atmosphere that it has is considered a vacuum. The atmosphere is made of oxygen, sodium, Hydrogen, Helium, and potassium. It is also possible that it contains amounts of Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Water, Nitrogen, Xenon, Krypton and Neon. ** <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 212)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)"> Wikipedia: [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)] <span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">It was named by the Romans after the fleet-footed messenger of the gods because it seemed to move more quickly than any other planet. <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm <span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">**Mercury is so close to the Sun to see it from Earth. However, 13 times each century, people on Earth can watch Mercury pass across the face of the Sun. This is called a transit. These happen around May 8th and November 10th. The first two transits of Mercury in the 21st century occured in May 2003 and November 2006. The next one is predicted to happen on May 9, 2016.** <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm <span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">**Mercury has an iron core that is at least partially molten. This is predicted because of its magnetic field.** <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 212)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)"> Wikipedia: [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)] <span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">** Most likely not because the temperatures are too hot during the day and too cold during the night for life to exist on this planet. ** <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm <span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Mercury has no known moons. ** <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 212)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)"> Wikipedia: [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)] <span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Nobody has ever stepped foot on the surface of Mercury because of the extreme temperatures on the planet and also because of how far away it is from earth. ** <span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">ESA Science & Technology: [|http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/category/index.cfm?fcategoryid=4586] **<span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Mercury's distance from the Sun ranges from 46 to 70 million kilometers. **  <span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar System Exploration: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Facts <span style="color: rgb(255, 169, 87)"> **<span style="font-size: 90%; color: rgb(255, 169, 87)">Mercury has spin orbit resonance. This is a ratio that tells how many times the planet rotates to how many years you are comparing it to. Mercury's is 3:2. This means that there are 3 total days (rotations) in 2 years. In other words, the days are about 60 earth days long. ** <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm <span style="display: block; font-size: 200%; color: rgb(3, 2, 2); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 212)"><span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)"><span style="display: block; font-size: 200%; color: rgb(3, 2, 2); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center">Sources: Wikipedia: [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)] <span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">ESA Science & Technology: [|http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/category/index.cfm?fcategoryid=4586] <span style="color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar System Exploration: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Mercury&Display=Facts <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(250, 224, 41)">Solar Views: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm
 * What is the atmosphere like?**
 * Why did they name it after the messenger of the gods?**
 * When is Mercury visible from Earth?**
 * What is the core made of?**
 * Is it at all hospitable?**
 * Does it have any moons?
 * Has anyone ever stepped foot on Mercury?
 * How close to the sun is it?**
 * How long are the days?**