...One of the most distinct features of Mercury’s surface is the fact that it looks wrinkled: this is due to the cooling of the planet’s iron core which led to the surface contracting. Mercury lost a third of its radius during this process (was reduced from 1.8 to 1.2 miles). Named “Scarps” by scientists, the wrinkles can be up to one mile high, and stretch over numerous miles. Another particularity of Mercury is that it is covered in craters, making it the most cratered planet in the entire Solar System. All of these craters strongly vary in shape and size, and originate from numerous encounters with comets and meteoroids. The largest one, Caloris Basin which was discovered in 1974, has a diameter of 1.550 kilometres and is surrounded by a...
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...Mercury: Surface Geology Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, is covered in craters, like, there are craters everywhere. There's also a lot of dust and boulders all over the place. In short, Mercury is like if you go fill an empty fish tank with rocks and sand, then dig some holes in there. Mercury has a magnetic field that's about 1/100th that of Earth's, it was discovered by Mariner 10, a Muggle space contraption. The field is generated from inside the planet, just like with Earth, as opposed to being a fossil remnant from when the planet actually became a planet. Venus: Atmosphere and Climate Venus, second planet from the sun, has an atmosphere composed of about 96% carbon dioxide, with most of the rest being nitrogen, so basically,...
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...throughout the next few hundred years. In 1833, the Crawcours brothers introduced their “Royal Mineral Succedaneum” to America, which was actually shaved French silver coins and mercury. They used a similar technique to what we use now to fill a tooth; they removed the carious lesion and then replaced it with the alloy. The main difference was that they did not have much anatomy in their structure due to the lack of knowledge of it. (Bharti et al, 2010). Amalgam’s disrepute initiated by these brothers led to the “Amalgam War” and to the promulgation by the American society of dental surgeons in 1845. The use of amalgam was considered as a malpractice, and an expulsion from the society of those members who would use it was demanded. Throughout the next few decades there were many studies conducted by various surgeons and scientists that eventually led to the conclusion that the alloy was an acceptable restorative material, with some alterations to the original material. (Bharti et al 2010) According to Jack L. Ferracane in Matierials in Dentistry, amalgam is defined as an alloy of mercury. An alloy is a combination of two or more metals; therefore, amalgam is a metal allow containing mercury. The word “amalgam” also is used to describe a combination or mixture of things, and dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and other elements. (Ferracane 2001) Ferracane states that amalgam is an extremely biocompatible material in the oral cavity and is extremely tolerant...
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...different from Earth in many other aspects. It has the most dense atmosphere out of the four terrestrial planets. Venus consists of more than 96% carbon dioxide. Surface Geography: The surface shows evidence of extreme volcanism, and the sulfur in the atmosphere may mean that there have been some recent eruptions. Venus is covered by a thick atmosphere, creating a blazing environment with temperatures reaching high enough to melt lead. Geology: Much of Venus's surface appears to have been shaped by volcanic activity. Venus is home to about 167 large volcanoes. Some stretching over 100 km long. Venusian surface is estimated to be 300–600 million years old. Almost 2x longer than Earth's. Internal Structure The similarity in size and density between Venus and Earth may mean that they share a similar internal structure: a core, mantle, and crust. Like Earth, the Venus's core is at least partially liquid because the two planets have been cooling at about the same rate. The slightly smaller size of Venus may mean that its interior pressure is less than Earth's. Atmosphere Structure: Venus has an extremely dense atmosphere, which is mostly made up of CO2 and a small amount of nitrogen. This makes the Venus's surface much hotter than Mercury's, which has a minimum surface temperature of −220 °C and maximum surface temperature of 420...
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...1. Why has NASA sent recent orbiters to Mars (such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) on trajectories that required them to skim through Mars's atmosphere before settling into their final orbits? | | It saves money because the spacecraft uses atmospheric drag to slow down rather than needing to carry enough fuel to slow by firing rocket engines. | | | Each spacecraft also carried a lander, and the lander could only be dropped to the Martian surface when the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere. | | | It allowed the spacecraft to collect samples of the atmospheric gas for return to Earth. | | | It allowed the orbiters to get higher resolution pictures of the surface as it came close when skimming through the atmosphere. | 2 points QUESTION 2 1. Why was it advantageous for the Voyager mission to consist of flybys rather than orbiters? | | It was easier for data to be radioed back to Earth with flybys than orbiters. | | | Each individual spacecraft was able to visit more than one planet. | | | Spacecraft making flybys can return to Earth more quickly than orbiters. | | | Flyby spacecraft can get closer to a planet than an orbiting spacecraft. | 2 points QUESTION 3 1. Which of the following statements about the recently-discovered object Eris is not true? | | It orbits the Sun in the same direction as the other planets. | | | It lies well beyond Pluto and Neptune. | | | It is thought to be the first example...
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...Observing Surface Features of the Sun for Amateur Astronomers Nikhil Anand Mustafa Shahid B.Tech Aerospace Engineering, IV Sem Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Email: nikhil.myindia@gmail.com B.Tech Avioncs, IV Sem Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Email: mustafashahid4@googlemail.com Abstract—Viewing the sun through a telescope is a very underrated astronomical practice. This paper will focus in detail on the relevance and significance of observing the sun. The various features on the sun are explained along with appropriate methodologies for safely viewing them. Three techniques are deployed to safely observe the sun. Further scope and interpretations of this experiment are also discussed. I. I NTRODUCTION Looking at the sun with naked eyes can be extremely dangerous, but with the right equipment, several interesting features of the sun can be revealed. Some of the notable features include sunspots, granulation and corona of the sun. To view the surface, three techniques are used. each has its own advantage. A. Surface features 1) Sun Spots : Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots on the surface. They correspond to concentrations of magnetic field that inhibit convection and result in reduced surface temperature compared to the surrounding photosphere. Sunspots usually appear as pairs, with each spot having the opposite magnetic polarity of the other...
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...Mercury is a very rocky planet. It is heavily cratered and is scattered with boulders and pulverized dust. Mercury has been geologically dead for a long time according astronomers. The planet has no signs of any type of weather such as clouds, rivers, and dust storms. The planet of Mercury closely resembles Earth's Moon. Mercury's surface shows intercrater plains, basins, smooth plains, craters, and tectonic features. Many of the smooth plains located on Mercury seem to be a result from flood volcanism. Some other features of Mercury geology are vents that are a result from magma-carved valleys and "hollows" that are believed to be from collapsed magma chambers. There are mineral deposits and thrust faulting near the poles of Mercury. Overall, the planet of Mercury is a very barren planet with not much geology to study. The atmosphere of Venus is made up of different components. It is made up of 96.5% carbon dioxide and 3.5% of nitrogen. Though almost all of the atmosphere of Venus is made up of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, there are traces of carbon monoxide, argon, helium, and neon. The atmosphere...
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... Mercury - History and Naming Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun, circles the Sun faster than all the other planets in our solar system, which is why the Romans named it after the swift-footed messenger god Mercury (Space exploration, 2013). Human observers have been looking up at Mercury since at least the time of the Sumerians – the 3rd millennium BC (The planet mercury, 2013). These Greek astronomers believed even then that Mercury (and Venus) both orbited the Sun, and not the Earth. Mercury was the god of commerce, travel, and thievery in Roman mythology, hence the naming of Mercury. Slide 2 Early beliefs of Mercury Mercury was known since at least Sumerian times roughly 5,000 years ago, where it was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing (Mercury, the sun's, 2013). Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star (Mercury, the sun's, 2013). Early beliefs thought that perhaps there were two different planets. However, Greek astronomers knew that both names referred to the same planet (Mercury). Back in the nineteenth century, astronomers made very careful observations of Mercury's orbit, but they could not explain the orbit adequately using Newtonian mechanics (The planet mercury, 2013). There were discrepancies between what they observed and what was mathematics predicted. This problem would last for decades. Einstein's General Theory of Relativity correctly predicted the motions of Mercury; this...
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...Mercury is a very rocky planet, its surface is like the Earths moon. It lacks an atmosphere, but experiences extreme temperature anywhere between 90 to 700 Kelvin. It is geologically dead, however it does have a magnetic field which is generated inside the planets core, it magnetic field is only around one 500th of Earths. Mercury is dominated by its core, it has a radius of around 1800 Kilometres and has a less dense mantle which has a depth of 500-600 kilometres. 60 percent of Mercury's mass in inside it's iron core, the ratio of mercury's core volume to the total planet volume is the greatest in the solar system. Mercury always has one side facing the sun so not only is Mercury and the moons surface alike, but they both have one side always...
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...Side ASide B Which solar system object has a kuiper belt? Comet Which of the following is the strongest evidence in support of the hypothesis that the solar system was formed by the collapse of a gas and dust nebula? Images of stars with gas and dust disks surrounding them Small planets do not have significant atmosphere because their _______ is weak. Gravity What conclusion can be drawn from the fact that some planets with solid surface and satellites have impact craters? Planets and their satellites were showered by planetesimals Which planet group has large orbital periods? Jovian Which of the following is true of the jovian planets? All of these are correct The 5th planet from the Sun is _______. Jupiter Compared to the ______ planets the ______ planets have ______. Terrestrial; Jovian; many satellites Which planet group contains rings? Jovian Which planet group has a faster spin? Jovian Which of the following lists the planets in increasing order of distance from the Sun? Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, P;uto The 7th planet from the Sun is _____. Uranus Which solar system object is icy? Comet Astronomers estimate that the age of the solar system is about _______ years. 4.6 billion Which of the following is true of the terrestrial planets? All of the choices are correct According to the nebular hypothesis, which of the following sequences of events are chronologically correct? Interstellar cloud, solar nebula, accretion, collisions...
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...Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is a rocky, solid planet and is therefore called a terrestrial planet. It was once volcanic. As such, it... Due to a thin atmosphere, the surface also shows evidence of many impacts, as it has many craters. Temperatures can vary between 90 and 700 Kelvin. Because of the wildly fluctuating conditions caused by these temperatures, and also due to any life-sustaining elements (although there is some evidence of water at the poles), there is almost certainly no life on Mercury. Though it does not show any signs of clouds or dust storms, implying a significant lack of weather on the planet, it does still have a magnetic field, though it is only 1/100th of the strength of Earth's. The largest crater is called the Caloris Basin, which is 1,550km wide. Another crater is Rachmaninoff, which is 306km wide. The outer shell of the planet is approximately 400km thick....
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...Bartholomew Jacob Hunt, the third, convinced him that it was the chance of a lifetime, they would surely find out. During their flight to Alaska, the boys are notified that Halley’s Comet’s orbit has been altered by the sun’s photosphere and is headed straight for the research station’s space elevator. There is no time to bring in additional scientists, so Matt and Barty must be willing to help. Using a chemical rocket and magnetic sail, three of the scientists at the research center will enter space and attempt to change the orbit of Halley Comet, while Matt and Barty operate the command center with the help of the lead scientist. This is the day they single-handedly saved two planets and created a new habitable environment on Mercury’s surface. [Student’s Name] [Professor’s Name] [Class Number] [Today’s Date] The Day We Saved Two Planets 10:20am. “It’s 2068! It is a mistake to ignore an occurrence that only transpires once every 11 years. Do you know what an aurora is!? I’ll tell you what an aurora is. An aurora is a disturbance in the magnetosphere produced by solar winds (source). You see, the electrons… remember electrons, Matt? They are the charged particles we talked about in chemistry. Right. You see, the electrons collide with atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere. When the electrons collide with oxygen, they create spectacular green and red lights (source). Magnificent. That’s what it is, magnificent. We can’t miss this opportunity. My colleagues contacted me late last...
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...made up of nine planets which range in size and make-up. The nine major planets in our solar system are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. There are also many other minor planets which are also in our solar system, but they are unimportant compared to the nine major planets. In this paper I will discuss the planets and how they are each unique. Mercury which is the planet that is closest to the sun is the first planet I will discuss. Mercury is the smallest of the inner planets. It is speculated that the heat from the sun made it impossible for the gases present to become part of the planetary formation. The surface of Mercury is extremely hot. It is approximately 470 degrees celsius on the surface and is thought to be even hotter at the two " hot spots." These " hot spots " are on opposite ends of the equator. It is the heat of the surface that makes it impossible for Mercury to have any type of atmosphere. Mercury orbits the sun once every 88 days and has a true rotation period of 58.6 days. " It is the closest planet to the sun and therefore orbits faster than any other planet " (Thompson/Turk, 542, 1993). It is said that Mercury rotates three times for every two trips around the sun, so that during Planets 3 every alternate perihelon passage the same face points directly at the sun. " Geologically, the most remarkable features of Mercury are compressional cliffs or faults, just the sort of wrinkles that might form in the crust if the interior...
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...Final Learning Team Paper GLG/150 Final Learning Team Paper During the early days of mankind, humans were led to believe that he or she were the sole entity of the universe. The Earth was thought of as exact center of the solar system, and that other planets revolved around it. Through the efforts and determination of individuals who refused to believe unchecked facts or documents, Earth is not the center of the universe but is instead a small piece to a larger solar system. The discoveries made by earlier pioneers of science Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton. Developed ideas that help individuals understand the concepts of motion, and the formation of celestial bodies in space. Theories of gravity and space dramatically changed the views in which Individuals determine the origins of our Moon and other planets within our Solar System. As science and technologies progress, ideas of formations and motions in space provides more educated theories of how our world, or universe has formed and will continue to function. The Earth was formed about five billion years ago and is the earliest material in the solar system, which a solar nebula that collapsed from the formation of the sun ("How Did the Earth Form", 2012). Dust and gas from the solar nebula took about millions of years to form into the earth starting with center of the Earth to cool down and form a crust that allowed water to...
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...different tempo, instrument combination, and rhythm. My favorite songs were Mars and Mercury because Mars has faster tempo with strong horn and percussion sections and Mercury has an uplifting pace and pleasant string instruments. When I started listening to Mars I visualized an inter-galactic battle taking place with the song playing in the background. I didn't like Venus or Saturn all that well because of the somber tone and the slow pace didn't hold my attention as well. Overall I enjoyed The Planets play list and the artist did an excellent job representing all the planets in musical form. Beyond the Score Video In addition to the Holst the Planets play list, the Beyond the Score video, directed by Gerald McBurney, featuring Simon McBurney, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by Charles Dutoit, offers viewers a deeper more historical perspective on the musical piece. The video begins with a detailed look at Mars: The Bringer of War and how the uses of horns and trumpets have been used for thousands of years to frighten opposing armies before battle. In particular, the use of the bass oboe gives the musical piece the recognizable dark ominous tone. McBurney then introduces the circle of fifths and how each one is used in relation to another to give the Mars piece its signature rhythm. I really enjoyed the Mars piece because the song represents Mars' red rocky surface full of deserts and volcanoes well and was a fitting song for time period because Holst...
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