Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Mercury is the first planet from the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. In English, it is named after the ancient Roman god Mercurius ( Mercury ), god of commerce and communication, and the messenger of the gods. Mercury is classified as a terrestrial planet, with roughly the same surface gravity as Mars.
Mercury is a chemical element; it has symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum ( / haɪˈdrɑːrdʒərəm / hy-DRAR-jər-əm) from the Greek words hydor (water) and argyros (silver), from which its chemical symbol is derived. [ 8]
Atmosphere of Mercury. Mercury's surface, with the atmosphere too thin to be visible. Mercury, being the closest to the Sun, with a weak magnetic field and the smallest mass of the recognized terrestrial planets, has a very tenuous and highly variable atmosphere (surface-bound exosphere) containing hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium ...
In Roman mythology, he was the son of Maia, one of the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas, and Jupiter. [ 1 ] In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand.
The geology of Mercury is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mercury. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is analogous to the field of terrestrial geology. In planetary science, the term geology is used in its broadest sense to mean the study of ...
A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet. During a transit, Mercury appears as a tiny black dot moving across the Sun as the planet obscures a small portion of the solar disk. Because of orbital alignments, transits viewed from Earth occur in May or November.
There are seven stable isotopes of mercury ( 80 Hg) with 202 Hg being the most abundant (29.86%). The longest-lived radioisotopes are 194 Hg with a half-life of 444 years, and 203 Hg with a half-life of 46.612 days. Most of the remaining 40 radioisotopes have half-lives that are less than a day. 199 Hg and 201 Hg are the most often studied NMR ...
The first probe to visit Mercury was Mariner 10. View of Mercury from Mariner 10 in March 1975. The exploration of Mercury has a minor role in the space interests of the world. It is the least explored inner planet. [ 1] As of 2015, the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER missions have been the only missions that have made close observations of Mercury.