Mercury — Closest Planet to the Sun

Description:

Temperatures vary drastically on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. On the side that faces the sun, temperatures can reach up to 801°F, while on the other side, temperatures can drop down to -279°F, allowing for Mercury to have the most extreme temperature variations in the solar system. One reason for these temperature variations is the lack of atmosphere over Mercury to trap heat. The smallest planet in the solar system, Mercury is rocky and cratered with almost no atmosphere to serve as protection. Caloris Basin, with a diameter of over 800 miles, is Mercury’s most notable feature and is thought to have been caused by an impact early in the history of the planet.

Mercury has not only the longest day, approximately 1407.5 hours (58.65 Earth days), but also the fastest orbit velocity at an amazing 107,088 miles per hour. Another solar system record held by Mercury is the shortest year at only 87.97 Earth days. The combination of the longest day with the shortest year means that for every two orbits that Mercury completes around the sun, it only rotates on its axis three times. The orbit of Mercury is not circular, but highly elliptical with the distance from the sun varying from 28.58 million miles at perihelion (position closest to sun) to 43.38 million miles at aphelion (position farthest from sun). There are three different versions of the Mercury dataset. The first was created by Steve Albers of NOAA/GSD and image details are available here. The second was created by the United State Geological Survey, and image details are available here. The third is the most detailed image using data from the MESSENGER mission. It is a global mosaic that covers 99.9% of Mercury's surface, and image details are available here.

Notable Features:

• Caloris Basin: 800 miles in diameter (one of largest features)
• • thought to be created by impact early in history of planet

Data Category

Major: Astronomy

Keywords:

Solar System, planet, closest

data set name	mercury
data set directory name	mercury
data set source	mariner 10   image details, messenger, earth-based radar
data set developer	mark s. robinson, center for planetary sciences, northwestern university philip j. stooke steve albers, noaa/gsd
visualization developer	steve albers, noaa/gsd
audio	no
download	ftp

Data Set Name	Mercury by USGS
Data Set Directory Name	mercury/usgs
Data Set Source	MESSENGER, Mariner 10
Data Set Developer	USGS
Visualization Developer	USGS
Audio	No
Download	FTP

Data Set Name	Mercury by MESSENGER Oct 2011
Data Set Directory Name	mercury/oct2011
Data Set Source	MESSENGER
Data Set Developer	NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Visualization Developer	NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Audio	No
Download	FTP
Date Added	November 2011