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You've Discovered the Bullis School Solar System! This website accompanies physical markers found on Bullis' campus. Click here to learn more!
First Discovery
First Discovery
In 1631, Thomas Harriott and Galileo Galilei observed Mercury with their newly invented telescope while Mercury is in transit with the sun.
Modern Exploration Missions
Modern Exploration Missions
Mariner 10
Mariner 10
From 1974-1975, Mariner 10 did 3 flybys of Mercury. Mariner took over 2,700 photos and mapped 45% of Mercury's surface. Mariner discovered the Caloris Basin, which had concentric rings and ridges over 1,500 miles in diameter. Contact was lost with mariner on March 24, 1975.
Radar
Radar
In 1991, the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico detected unusually bright patches on the poles of Mercury. The patches reflected the radio waves exactly the same as water-ice, leading scientists to believe that there is ice on Mercury.
Messenger
Messenger
Sent in 2008 and operated until 2015, first major exploration mission. It orbited Mercury and determined the surface composition, found details about the magnetic field, revealed its geological history and verified the presence of water-ice.
Current Exploration Missions
Current Exploration Missions
BepiColombo was successfully launched in October 2018 and plans to orbit Mercury by 2025. Its goals are to investigate the evolution of the planet and find more information about the composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history.
Observed on ground
Observed on ground
Like the Moon and Venus, Mercury's aspects can be observed from Earth. Its "New Moon" occurs at inner conjunction and its "Full Moon" at outer conjunction. Mercury is invisible from Earth in these two aspects because of its relative proximity to the Sun. The best time to observe Mercury is about 50 minutes before sunrise, or 50 minutes after sunset.
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