By: Amber, Jessica, and Trevor

The Better Planet for the Better Solar System

Mercury

Information on Mercury…

• Mercury was known approximately 5,000 years ago.

• It was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing.

• It was given other names as the appearance as the morning star and the evening star.

• With other names, the scientists knew that they referred to the same body.

More Information…

• It is the most iron rich planet in the solar system.

• Mercury has no known moons or satellites.

• Until 1965, scientists always thought that the same side of Mercury placed the sun.

Interesting Facts!

• The Romans named Mercury after the swift footed messenger god Mercury because it circles the sun faster than any other planet.

• A day in Mercury is equal to 58.65 Earth Days

• The closest that anyone has ever gotten to Mercury is a flyby made my the Mariner 10 spacecraft.

You need to know…

• It is the sun’s closest planetary neighbor.

• The side that is facing the sun gets extremely hot, and the side that is not facing the sun gets extremely cold.

Pictures

Just for fun…

http://dan.hersam.com/riddles.html

Compared to Earth…

• It has an iron core, like Earth.• It looks like our moon.• It is a planet.• It has days, nights, and years.

Contrasted to Earth…

• Mercury doesn’t have seasons• Earth is extremely cold at the

poles, and Mercury is cold on the side that’s not facing the sun.

• For some people, it’s hard to get a tan on Earth, but on Mercury, it would be easy for anybody, no matter what kind of skin tone you have.

• It doesn’t have an atmosphere.

Check it Out!

Mercury!

Quiz:

1. What Roman god was Mercury named after?

a) Plutob) Saturnc) Jupiterd) Mercury

Quiz:

2. What is this?: Mercury looks like our moon.a) Comparisonb) Contrast

Quiz:

3. What is this?: Mercury doesn’t have seasons.a) Comparisonb) Contrast

Quiz:

4. How many years ago was Mercury known of?

a) 10,000b) 6,000c) 5,000d) 1,000

Quiz:

5. What did scientists believe about Mercury until 1965?

a) That the same side of Mercury faced the sun.b) It had the same rotation as Earth.c) It didn’t rotate.d) There was life on Mercury.

Citations:

• http://www.space.com/36-mercury-the-suns-closest-planetary-neighbor.html

• http://www.planetfacts.net/Mercury-Facts.html

• http://space.about.com/od/solarsystem/tp/mercury10things.htm

• http://planetfacts.org/planet-mercury-facts/