The Asteroid Belt: A Hundred Million Miles of Rock

The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located in between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter and marks the gateway to the outer solar system.  The Asteroid belt takes up a massive region of that space, roughly two and half times the distance from the Earth to the Sun.  It is a vast collection of rocks and ice left over from the formation of the Solar system however despite popular imagery the asteroid belt is mostly empty.  Yes there are billions possibly trillions  of asteroids in the belt but they are so small and spread over such a vast area that if you were to stand on one asteroid it would be extremely unlikely to see its neighbour.  The Asteroid belt contains relatively small sized asteroids, ranging from the size of boulders to a few thousand feet in diameter however there are a few inhabitants that are considerably larger.

Ceres: Ceres was discovered in on New Years day in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi and was named after the goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. Ceres for a time referred to as a planet until 1851 when its asteroid term became more well established. In 2006 Cerces was again reclassified as a Dwarf Planet alongside Pluto and is today the is the closest dwarf planet to the sun.

Vesta: Vesta was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on 29 March 1807 and was named for the  virgin goddess of home and hearth from Roman mythology. Vesta is the brightest asteroid in the Solar System and can been seen with the naked eye.

Ganymed: Ganymed is a large asteroid that should not be confused with Jupiters moon  “Ganymede”.  Ganymed was discovered October 23, 1924  by Walter Baade. Ganymed has a very well maped out orbit and its next close fly by of Earth will be on 13 October 2024 when the asteroid will only be 35(ish) million miles away.

Eros: Eros was discovered on the 13 August 1898 by Gustav Witt  and Auguste Charloisis and was named after the Greek god of love “Erōs”.  Eros is the first asteroid to be landed upon by a spacecraft, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission, which landed on the asteroid in 2000.

The asteroid belt is full of many fascinating andl interesting pockets of information however with such a vast amount of different asteroids, comets and proto-planets I will need to revisit this region of our solar system at another time in the future.  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com and  earthsky.org. 

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org earthsky.org

Phobos and Deimos: Chariots of Fear and Terror

The moons of Mars Phobos and Deimos are suitably named as they refer to the mycological characters Phobos (panic/fear) and Deimos (terror/dread) who accompanied the god of war Ares into battle. Ares as you may remember is what the ancient Greeks called Mars.  Deimos was discovered 138 years ago on this very day (12 August) by the American astronomer Asaph Hall.  Phobos was also discovered by Hall six days after that (18 August). The Martian moons are among the smallest in our solar system.

Phobos is slightly larger than his brother but still rather small at only about 17 miles long (27km) at its greatest diameter. Its surface is covered in craters the largest being a 6 miles wide.  The impact that created this crater not only almost destroyed Phobos but also caused extraordinary streak patterns across the moon’s surface.  It hurtles around Mars three times a day ,orbiting only 3,700 miles (6,000 km) above the Martian surface and is gradually getting closer.  It is spiralling inward at about 2 meters each century meaning that sometime within the next 50 million years, it will either crash into Mars or be destroyed but tidal gravitational forces and form a ring around the planet.

Deimos orbits at a much further distance than his brother at around 14,573 miles (23,460 km) and also has a much longer orbital period of about 30 hours. Deimos is just a little over 9 miles long (15 km) making it one of the smallest moons in the entire solar system. Its surface has much less detail due to the thick layer of dust.  Deimos is slowly moving farther away from Mars, just like our own moon is slowing moving away from earth.  Eventually it will break free of the gravitational pull of Mars and will leave orbit, never to be see again.

The two Martian moons have been a lot more interesting than I had first belived them to be, Mars has been in the spotlight a lot in recent years and it is easy to forget about its two be it small companions.  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com Photo Credit:  Reto Stöckli, Nazmi El Saleous, and Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, NASA GSFC.

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org

Mars: The Next Giant Leap for Mankind

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the last of the terrestrial planets. Mars is named after the Roman god of war, known to the ancient Greeks as Ares, ancient Chinese as fire star while ancient Egyptians names it “Her Desher” which roughly translates means “the red one”. The month of March also derives its name from Mars and it is often described as the “Red Planet” due to its reddish appearance.  Mars is a small planet, second smallest after Mercury but has managed to capture two moons Phobos and Deimos which I will discuss in greater detail later!  A Martian day takes just a longer than an Earth Day lasting about 24 and a half hours while the Martian year will take 687 Earth days. This means if I where a Martian id only be 17 years old!  Gravity is a lot less on Mars too, Martian surface gravity is only 37% of the Earth’s meaning I would weigh about 4 and a half stone and could leap nearly three times higher than I could on earth!

Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide (95%) with nitrogen (2.7%), and argon (1.6%), with traces of oxygen and water.  Its surface is where the real interesting things happen!  Mars is home to the tallest mountain known in our solar system.  Olympus Mons is a 16 miles (25 km) high and 374 miles (624) wide, now dormant volcano located on the western hemisphere.  To put this into perspective Olympus Mons is three times taller than Mount Everest and if places on earth would take up most of Germany.  Valles Marineris at more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) long, 120 miles (200) wide and up to  4 and a half (7 km) deep making it  one of the larger canyons of the Solar System.  If places on earth it would look like the grand canyon if it stretched from New York to San Francisco. Mars is the only other terrestrial planet in our solar system to have polar ice caps. The northern cap is called the Planum Boreum, with Planum Australe in the south. The Martian polar ice caps have two kinds of ice. firstly water ice, like the our own ice caps on Earth and dry ice of frozen  carbon dioxide.

We have sent an army of robotic explorers to mars over the past 45 years but only 16 of the 39 missions have been success. Beginning with the USSR’s Marsnik 1 which was launched in 1960, 39 orbiters, landers and rovers have been to Mars.  At the moment the two Mars rovers  Curiosity and Opportunity are roaming about the surface sending back some amazing photos and looking for signs of ancient life.  In 2016, Europe’s Exobiology on Mars program  be launched to investigate Mars and any signs of current potential life.  Consisting of two separate missions an orbiter and lander set for 2016 launch and and a European rover and a Russian surface platform launching in 2018.  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com Photo Credit:  Reto Stöckli, Nazmi El Saleous, and Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, NASA GSFC.

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org

Moonraker

A Drax Industries Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked in flight in a daring heist and James Bond (Roger Moore) is ordered to investigate. Bond meets the owner of the company, Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) and one of Drax’s scientists, Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) where his investigations begin however the trail leads to Venice, where he establishes that Drax is manufacturing a nerve gas deadly to humans, but harmless to animals, in an attempt to wipe out all live on earth and start again with his “Noahs Ark” of master raze who are safe in space. Bond with the Aid of Dr. Goodhead must devise a plan to stop this genocidal manic before it is too late!

Ian Flemings’  1962 novel “Moonraker” which was the third book, and a favourite of mine which I think would have made a spectacular movie.  However the writers and produces believed that the story was too tame for the time and with science fiction being the hot topic they decided to take James Bond into space.  In fact what the writers done was take The Spy Who Loved Me and rewrote it because the plots are so similar, swap put under the sea for space and boom you have your movie.  It’s a hack for the most part, no decent plot, and too many stupid gags as for the villain… Hugo Drax just looks like a dickhead with the most incompetent henchman, even by Bond movie standards.  The weightless scenes may have been fantastic for the time but looking at it now just looks stupid, people walking in slow motion, just looks like a spoof.  There are loads more goofy moments but I won’t go into them all.  The theme song “Moonraker” composed by Jon Barry and performed by Shirley Bassey not my favourite really.  I wont spend the entire review slating this movie because it does have its good points. Spoilers ahead but I just have to discuss something which is quite possibly my favourite scene in the whole movie, if not the franchise.  It is when Bond is in a centrifuge which is being manipulated by a henchman, causing him to experience life threatening G forces.  Just as Bond is about to pass out and die, a smiling Q (Desmond Llewelyn) flashes before his eyes triggering a memory Bond to use the gadget given him at the beginning of the mission, which ultimately saves his life.  It felt as if Q was his guardian angel and in many ways I guess he is, always knowing what gadgets Bond will need to get out of trouble ahead.  Jaws (Richard Kiel) also returns and due to a lot of fan mail, mostly from children who liked his character but wanted him to be a goodie!  Some of the stunts and fight scenes are amazing, the fight scene on top of the cable car in Rio and the opening credits sequence, gags aside, was mesmerising and thrilling.

Why did I choose To be honest it is the one James Bond movie that I have been dreading, and then it came to watching it and I thought it may not be all that bad, then I watched it and remembered why I was dreading it. It is not entirely bad, the major problem is the gags and the silliness that I have mentioned which takes more away than what it gives, but the argument was that James Bond was an escape, it is meant to be silly and fun.  It is fun, and truly out of this world. Filmed in four studios over seven countries, three continents and costing more than the budget of the first six 007 adventures combined Moonraker is larger than life in every respect.  It smashed box-office records across the globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Effects and Visual Effects. I guess for all of its faults a lot of love went into this movie and although it may not be my favourite it is entertaining in its own way and for all I have to complain it does have its moments….James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only.

 My Rating: D
Format: DVD
I Own This Movie
Artwork by: pringdesign
Bond#11

The Moon: Full Moon Names

Cultures across the globe have given names to the full moon throughout the year. Different full moon names can be found among the Chinese, Celtic, Old English, Native American  and New Guinea cultures, to name a few.  The full moon names were used to identify the entire month during which each occurred often referring to hunting and or farming conditions.  The names given below are some of the most common however each culture has specific variations so look them up if you find it as interesting as I do!

Full Moon Names

Wolf Moon – January. Snow Moon – February Worm Moon – March Pink Moon – April Flower Moon – May Strawberry Moon – June

Buck Moon – July Sturgeon Moon – August Harvest Moon – September Hunter’s Moon – October Beaver Moon – November Cold Moon – December

Due to the 29 and a half day lunar cycle the exact dates of the full moons move every year. Most seasons will have three full moons, but because of the variation some will actually have four. The term “Blue Moon” was used to identify one of these extra full moons. July’s “Buck moon” will appear in the sky later tonight .  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com and  earthsky.org. 

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org earthsky.org

The Moon: Lunar Calendar

The time between successive new moon phases is 29 and a half Earth days. The moons phases where briefly described in my last post in Astronomy called  Our Astronomical Companion however as I found it so fascinating I wanted to go a little deeper into it and explain in detail the phases it goes through.  One major misconception is that the phases of the moon are linked to the earth’s shadow, however the only time earth’s shadow comes into play is during eclipses of the moon which occur every six months. In fact it’s the moons own shadow which accounts for its phases.

Moon Phases 

New Moon:  The moon rises and sets with the sun whose light is shining directly behind the moon and so the side that faces earth is covered in its own shadow and is not visible. A New Moon is a one day event and occurs at a very specific time which can be measured down to the second. The nights sky is considerably darker at this stage.

Waxing Crescent:  The first Phase after the New Moon The moon has moved in its orbit and so a slim crescent is visible in the west after sunset which over the next seven days or so will become increasingly brighter or  “Wax”  in illumination.

First Quarter:  Commonly called a “Half Moon” is when the moon is one quarter of the way around in its orbit of Earth and is a one day event which occurs roughly 7 days after the New moon.  A Quarter Moon also named as we see 1/4 of the illuminated surface.

Waxing Gibbous:  The moon appears high in the east at sunset and is more than half-lighted, but less than full.  This phase lasts roughly seven days with the moon continuing to “Wax” until its peek at the next stage.  The word “Gibbous” has it’s roots in the Latin word “gibbosus” meaning humpbacked.

Full Moon:  We can see the entire illuminated portion of the moon. At this point the Moon and Sun are on a line, with Earth in between. This is the opposite in many ways of the New moon which is totally covered in its own shadow and its timing can be measured to the second. Each new full Moon has its own name which i will talk about in a later post.

Waning Gibbous:  The first phase after a Full Moon occurs  finds the moon in an ever decreasing state of illumination or “Waning” It lasts roughly 7 days and is visible over the eastern horizon in the hours between sunset and midnight. This phase is the one that looks most like the Death Star from Star Wars to me!

Third Quarter:  Also referred to as “Last Quarter” is another “Half Moon”, but the illuminated part is opposite of the First Quarter.   A Third Quarter moon is a one day event when the moon is three quarter of the way through it’s orbit around the earth.  It rises around midnight, appears at its highest in the sky at dawn, and sets around noon.

Waning Crescent:  Sometimes refereed to as an “Old Moon” is best viewed an hour or two before the sunrise in the east before dawn. This last phase begins after the Third Quarter and will last around seven days until the  cycle begins again with a New Moon.

Todays or be it tonight’s moon phase is a Waxing Crescent with 32% Illumination.  The skys will hopefully stay clear enough for you to see the Moon in the wester sky after sunset. The Moon holds so many more fascinating topics for discussion so I will be returning  to it again soon! Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com  www.universetoday.com  and moongiant.com.

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org earthsky.org

The Moon: Our Astronomical Companion

The moon called Luna by the Romans, Selene and Artemis by the Greeks, and many other names in other mythologies, is Earth’s only natural satellite, our closest astronomical companion and it is the second brightest object in the sky after the Sun.  The moon has been a source of inspiration from 10th-century Japanese folktales to modern day science fiction.

The amount of time the Moon takes to complete one turn on its axis with respect to the stars is 27.3 days, and it’s called a sidereal day.  This corresponds with the Moons orbital period of the Earth which also takes just over 27 days meaning that the Earth and the moon are tidaly locked.  The time between successive new moon phases is 29 and a half Earth days. The moons phases are easy to describe. Basically half of the moon is always illuminated by the sun, what changes is the position of the moon itself and what aspects of it we are able to see from earth. The moon begins as a New Moon which is covered in shadow and not visible. In its orbit the Moon will gradually become increasingly brighter, referred to as “Waxing”, until it becomes a Full Moon.  After a Full Moon the Moon will gradually become darker, referred to as “Waning” as it makes its journey back into a New Moon where the cycle begins again.  This is actually very fascinating and I will talk about it in greater detail in another post.

The Moons atmosphere is extremely thin. This means that the surface of the Moon is unprotected from cosmic rays, meteorites and solar winds, and has huge temperature variations. The lack of atmosphere means no sound can be heard on the Moon, and the sky always appears black.  In fact due to this extreme heat and ultraviolet conditions on the moon the flags that have been left there 40 plus years ago have most likely been destroyed, and if they are still intact they would be bleached white. The surface of the moon is covered in dust with the same consistency as talcum powder.  The Moon has much weaker gravity than Earth, due to its smaller mass, so you would weigh about one sixth (16.5%) of your weight on Earth, making me about 2 stone or so!   Dark side of the moon is a myth! I’m talking about the misconception that one side of the Moon is always shrouded in darkness, not the Pink Floyd album.  While one side of the mood is all we can see the other side or far side of the Moon does see the sun’s rays. The rise and fall of the tides on Earth is caused by the the gravitational forces that the Moon exerts.  The moons Gravity causes bulges to move around the oceans as the Earth rotates, causing high and low tides around the globe.

The Moon was first visited by the Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 in 1959. It is the only extraterrestrial body to have been visited by humans. The first landing was on July 20, 1969  with Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission being the first man to step foot on its surface.  The last was in December 1972 with Gene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission, since then the Moon has only be visited by unmanned vehicles.  The Moon is also the only body from which samples have been returned to Earth. In the summer of 1994, the Moon was very extensively mapped by the little spacecraft Clementine and again in 1999 by Lunar Prospector.

The Moon has always been a muse for me, its silver light cold hauntingly beautiful and mysterious, it is one of the reasons I am fascinated in astronomy.  I will be returning to the Moon in many other posts because there is just is so many fascinating subjects to cover!  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com and  earthsky.org. Photo Credit:  

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org earthsky.org

Earth: You are Here

Earth third rock from the sun and the only known place in the universe to support life is home to 7.3 billion people and a further 14 million different species of life! Unlike all the other planets in our solar system earth is not named after a mythical god, however it is referred to by some as Gaia, Terra or The World.  Made up of the major continents of Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australia with a scattering of different islands ranging from 190 to 97,000 square miles in size.  That’s our wee planet and its hurtling around the sun at 67000 mph or 107,826 km.  Earth’s journey takes 365 and a quarter days to orbit the sun each one of those days lasting 24 hours in length.

Earth is the fifth largest planet in our solar system and has been referred to as “The Blue Planet” due to its surface being 71% water and only 29% rock however it is actually the densest planet in our solar system being made up mostly of Iron, oxygen and silicon. The Earth’s interior is composed of four layers, three solid and one liquid, a molten metal which is nearly as hot as the surface of the sun.  It is at the core where the main part of Earth’s magnetic field is generated which acts as a defence against the strong solar radiation coming from the sun.  Our surface temperature varies from -88°C to a scorching 58°C depending on where about you happen to be standing.  Due to Earth’s axial tilt of 23° we have seasonal change in climate, with very different and extraordinary weather systems ranging from High Winds, Freezing Rain, Fog, Floods, Thunderstorms, Snow, Rain, Tornados, Hail, Hurricanes, Tsunamis with the odd sunny day thrown in and that’s just may in Northen Ireland.  One interesting factoid I discovered in my research is that contrary to popular belief, the Earth is not a greater distance from the Sun during winter it is actually the Earth is closer to the Sun during winter! The reason for colder days is the shorter length of the day.

I thought this may be a little dull being our own home planet however I have come to realize just how interesting and dynamic a planet that Earth actually is.  Desserts Icecaps Forests, Jungles, Plains, Mountains, Valleys, Caves and Coastlines Earth really is a vibrant and extraordinary place.  Standing on that equator you would be spinning around Earth’s centre at 1000 miles per hour and at the poles you would be standing still while turning in a circle.  Its highest point is Mount Everest standing tall at 8848 meters above sea level and the lowest point is Challenger Deep laying at a staggering 10916 meters below sea level. Actually 95% of what lies under the oceans remains unexplored.  We actually have better maps of the moon and mars than we do of the deep ocean. The first of the Planets so far to have a notable Moon, however we will talk about that another time!  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com Photo Credit:  Reto Stöckli, Nazmi El Saleous, and Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, NASA GSFC.

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com,  astronomycast.com,  astronomyonline.org,  planetfacts.org

Venus: Hell Hath No Fury

Venus  our bright queen of the sky, is the second innermost planet our Solar System and although no exact date is known of its discovery one of the earliest records comes from the Babylonian astronomers around 17,000 BC.  Venus the brightest of the 5 visible planets known to ancient astronomers was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite but it is more a vision of hell!  Earth’s closest neighbour, a day on Venus lasts longer than its year!  The slow rotational period means that a day lasts for 5832 earth hours, which is the equivalent of 224.65 Earth days while a Venusian year lasts 243 Earth days, just a little less than our own Earth orbit.  The clockwise rotation of Venus is unique to all the planets of our Solar System which rotate counter-clockwise. This means that from the surface the Sun would appear to rise in the West and then set in the East.

Venus is often refered to as Earths sister planet because they are so alike in size, mass, density, composition and gravity.  However these stats are where the similarities end.  Temperatures on Venus reach a staggering 900 degrees Fahrenheit (482 degrees Celsius) which is hot enough to melt lead.  These Temperatures are due to the runaway greenhouse effects of the atmosphere rather than its proximity to the sun!  The hellish atmosphere on Venus consists mostly of carbon dioxide, nitrogen with minor amounts of sulphur dioxide, argon, water, carbon monoxide, helium and neon so not things you really want to be breathing. The heavy atmosphere which is  90 times heavier than our own, to give you an idea of what that would be like these are the pressures that a submarine experiences at 3000ft below the surface of the Earth’s ocean.  Thick carbon dioxide rich clouds cover the entirety of the planet and dominate the upper atmosphere and travel at hurricane-force speeds of roughly 224 mph.  On the surface though not as blustery you will be welcomed by sulphuric acid rain and over 2000 major volcanos some of which are still active today spewing rivers of lava stretching 3,000 miles in length.  Volcanic features on Venus are still being mapped and are in the number of around 100,000!

Venus being the brightest planet is easily spotted with the naked eye.  Its brightness is between -3.8 and -4.8 magnitude, bright enough that aided with a telecope you are able to see it go through phases just like the moon. Venus orbit overtakes Earth every 584 days and in doing do changes from the “Evening Star”, visible after sunset, to the “Morning Star”, visible before sunrise.  The United States, former Soviet Union and European Space Agencies have all deployed various spacecraft to Venus.  In fact more than 40 spacecraft have been sent so far. The Soviet Union’s Venera 7 was the first spacecraft in history to land on another planet, and Venera 9 returned the first photographs of the Venusian surface.  However due to the hellish environment probes on the surface do not last long, Venera 7 only survived about 2 hours!  NASA’s Magellan orbiter, created maps the first of the planet’s surface.  Due to the thick and constant cloud cover radar was uses and the orbitor managed to generate mapping of 98% of the surface in exquisite detail.

I was always fascinated with Venus, It was always the planet I could pick out of the nights sky but when I discovered just how violent and hellish Venus actually was I wanted to know more!  The volcanic surface and the intense pressure and heat everything that I have discovered has been so interesting!  I have touched on the things that I found interesting and could explain while trying to keeping it interesting and in laymen’s terms.  Below are a few links to the sites I gathered my information on but I would like to advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and www.universetoday.com Photo Credit: SSV, MIPL, Magellan Team, NASA, Planetary Photojournal

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com, astronomycast.com

Mercury: The First Rock from the Sun

Mercury is the innermost planet our Solar System and although no exact date is known of its discovery one of the earliest records comes from the Sumerian civilisation around 3,000 BC.   Due to the speed in which it moved around the Sun Mercury was named after the Roman god Mercury, who according to myth was the god of travellers and messengers, had a winged hat and sandals, so he could fly.  A day on Mercury lasts for 4222 and a half earth hours, which is the equivalent of 58.6 Earth days or your average Monday in work.  A Mercurian year will take 88 Earth days on its speedy journey around the Sun reaching speeds of 200,000 kilometres an hour in the most elliptical of all the 8 planets, sorta looks like a big egg!  Mercury is a very dense planet one of the densest planets of our solar system, second only to earth!  It’s made up of lots and lots of metals, mostly iron, with a thin crust of rock that is heavily cratered.  In Fact Mercury is the most cratered planet on the entire solar system with a surface not dissimilar to that of Earth’s moon and the continued presence of these craters indicates that the planet has not been geologically active for billions of years.

Mercury being the smallest of the planets in our solar system with a diameter of only 4,879 km or 3031ish Miles means that it is only slightly larger than Earth’s moon!  Its small stature causes the gravity on Mercury to be only 38% of that on Earth meaning that I would only weigh about 4 and a half stone or 28.6 Kg if I were to stand on its surface.  Temperatures  vary between a scorching 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius) during the day to a chilly -280 degrees Fahrenheit (-170 degrees Celsius) at night.   It is possible to see Mercury from the Earth with the naked eye though its closeness to the Sun’s bright light can make it difficult to spot.  Astronomers used to believe that Mercury was tidally locked with the sun with one side always facing the sun.  However in 1965 astronomers discovered that the planet rotates three times during every two orbits.  Due to its close proximity to the Sun only two spacecraft have ever visited Mercury to date, Mariner 10 and Messenger. During 1974 and 1975, Mariner 10 flew by Mercury three times mapping around half of the planet’s surface, discovered its thin atmosphere and detected its weak magnetic field.  Messenger went into orbit around Mercury in 2011, and completed mapping of 100% of Mercury’s surface in 2013.  A mission to Mercury is “BepiColombo” is planned for launch 27 January 2017 and hopes to enter orbit around Mercury in 2024, I’ll be 42! The two orbiters will explore Mercury for one Earth year (4 Mercury years), with the option of a one-year extension.  One of the many things these orbiters will be looking for is evidence of liquid water.  Scientists and astronomer’s believe there could be liquid water located in the shadows of  huge craters at the poles due to  Mercury’s axial tilt is of 2.11. To give you some perspective the Earths  axial tilt is 23.4 which gives us our seasons as we travel around our orbit.

I always imagined Mercury as a tortured burnt ball of Rock and Iron but in my research I have discovered it is, well it is a tortured burnt ball of Rock and Iron but with many other fascinating aspects.  I have touched on the things that I found interesting and could explain while trying to keeping it interesting and in laymen’s terms.  Below are  the links to all of the sites  which I used to research Mercury. I would advise you to check out www.astronomycast.com and  www.universetoday.com.

Thanks To: theplanets.org, solarsystem.nasa.gov, science.nationalgeographic.com,  universetoday.com,  space-facts.com, astronomycast.com