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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 observed by Galileo Galilei in 1631 with telescopes
First observed by Galileo Galilei in 1631 with telescopes
The planet may have been found with the naked eye as early as 265 B.C.
Formed 4.5 Billion years ago
Formed 4.5 Billion years ago
Gravity pulled swirling gas and dust together, and collided with another massive object forming Mercury and a huge iron core. Like other Earth-like planets, Mercury has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust. Mercury is the second most dense planet after Earth. It has a massive metallic core with a radius of about 1,289 miles, about 85 percent of the radius of the Earth's sphere. There is evidence that it is partially molten or liquid. Mercury's outer shell, the equivalent of Earth's, is only about 250 miles thick.
Early History of Mercury
Early History of Mercury
Geology
Geology
Mercury used to be volcanically active and was bombarded with large comets and and asteroids for its first 700 million years, leaving massive craters on its surface. Furthermore, the planet used to be larger than it is now. It's extremely high density, the highest in the solar system, caused by its massive iron core, has made the planet shrink by 14 kilometers in diameter since its formation.
Where does Mercury come from?
Where does Mercury come from?
Mercury isn't named after the element and the planet isn't made of Mercury. In fact, there may not be much of the element on the planet at all. However, the planet is named after the Roman god 'Mercury' also known as 'Hermes', which is the messenger for their gods. Mercury had wings on his helmet and shoes, so due to the planet's fast travel around the Sun, the planet Mercury was named after the messenger.
Pop Culture
Pop Culture
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes isn't the only piece of pop culture where Mercury has appeared. Mercury has appeared in many science fiction novels, movies, tv shows and even comics. For example, science fiction writers: Isaac Asimov, C. S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and H. P. Lovecraft often mention Mercury. Furthermore, Mercury has also appeared in the tv show "Invader Zim" and the movie "Sunshine" (2007).
Future Colony
Future Colony
The craters at Mercury's north and south poles are a likely place for an extraterrestrial human colony because the temperature there is constant all year round (about -200°C). This is because of Mercury's weak axial tilt and because there is essentially no atmosphere, so heat from the sunlit parts of the planet is difficult to carry there, and even the shallower crater bottoms at Mercury's poles are always dark. Proper human activity would be able to heat the colony to a comfortable temperature, and a lower ambient temperature around it compared to most Earth regions would make the dissipated heat more manageable.
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