NASA’s Messenger mission ended in 2015 and ESA-JAXA BepiColombo won’t reach Mercury until 2025. These two spacecraft will coordinate measurements of solar wind, radiation and interplanetary dust; providing in-depth knowledge about Mercury’s magnetosphere and exosphere. Mercury’s thin exosphere Mercury lacks an atmosphere to protect it, leaving it exposed to the Sun’s constant solar wind. This…
Mercury is an extremely dangerous toxic metal, known to harm children and babies’ brains, as well as cross the placenta to harm fetuses. Eating two servings of low-contaminant fish each week may reduce your exposure risk of mercury. Crab Grapsus grapsus from both urban and protected sites across Galapagos was collected for analysis to measure…
Rare mercury dimes represent more than just currency for coin collectors; they provide a glimpse into history. Answering “are mercury dimes valuable?” depends on many variables, including mintage, collector demand, key dates and specific conditions. To accurately appraise a coin and assess its worth, one must carefully examine it. Rare Dates The Mercury Dime was…
Mercury does not possess any natural satellites – none, nada, zip and zilch! Reason being, Mercury lies so close to the Sun that its gravity could disrupt any potential moon’s orbit and pull it directly into Mercury or even into its atmosphere. Mercury formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago from swirling gas and dust that…
Mercury and Venus are the innermost planets and often appear before or after the Sun in the sky, shining brightly due to their thick atmospheres. Venus suffers because its solar energy is quickly converted to heat that radiates back out as light, making escape difficult. Furthermore, there are few old craters and no evidence of…
Mercury Retrograde occurs three to four times annually and can be extremely frustrating; however, it doesn’t have to be all bad! Named after the Roman messenger god Mercury, this planet of swift movement rules communication in all forms–listening, writing, reading and speaking–including negotiations and contracts as well as travel transportation and shipping activities. It happens…
Mercury may be one of the smaller planets in our solar system, but it holds much promise as an intriguing world. It boasts an immense iron core with no atmosphere to speak of – though an intriguing magnetic field still exists! Surface features of Mars include bright streaks known as crater rays that result from…
Mercury pollution occurs when factories burn coal or mining operations release run-off into lakes and rivers, where microorganisms convert it to methylmercury that is taken up by plants and small fish; as these fish become consumed by larger ones, more methylmercury accumulates throughout their food chains and becomes concentrated further up. Learn about how mercury…
Mercury’s heavily cratered surface can help scientists piece together its 4.6 billion year history, but its fragile atmosphere provides little protection from UV radiation or micrometeoroids striking its surface. Spacecraft bound for Mercury must be constructed using heat-resistant materials and feature sophisticated navigation and communication systems, in addition to gravity assists and advanced propulsion systems….
