What is the most notable feature on the surface of Mercury?

What is the most notable feature on the surface of Mercury?

Caloris Basin — Impact Site This is one of the largest impact basins in the solar system and the largest feature on Mercury. The Caloris Basin is 1300 kilometers (810 miles) in diameter.

What type of surface does Mercury have?

Mercury appears to have a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid, iron sulfide outer core layer, a deeper liquid core layer, and a solid inner core. The planet’s density is the second highest in the Solar System at 5.427 g/cm3, only slightly less than Earth’s density of 5.515 g/cm3.

What is Mercury surface and atmospheric features?

Atmosphere and Weather: Mercury has an extremely thin and non-protective atmosphere. For all practical purposes, the atmosphere is nearly a vacuum. The sparse atmosphere is primarily composed of oxygen, sodium and hydrogen. Mercury’s atmospheric atoms are continuously being lost to space.

Does Mercury have any features?

It has a solid surface that is covered with craters. It has no atmosphere, and it doesn’t have any moons. Mercury likes to keep things simple. This small planet spins around slowly compared to Earth, so one day lasts a long time.

What are 3 features of Mercury?

• Small World. Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system – only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon.
• Inside Track. Mercury is the planet that orbits the closest to the Sun.
• Fastest Planet. …
• Rough Surface. …
• Can’t Breathe There. …
• Moonless. …
• Ringless. …
• Tough Place for Life.

• Small World. Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system – only slightly larger than Earth’s Moon.
• Inside Track. Mercury is the planet that orbits the closest to the Sun.
• Fastest Planet. …
• Rough Surface. …
• Can’t Breathe There. …
• Moonless. …
• Ringless. …
• Tough Place for Life.

What are 2 special features of Mercury?

Mercury speeds around the sun every 88 Earth days, hurtling along at nearly 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second — faster than any other planet in the solar system, according to NASA. Mercury’s orbit is not only very fast but also highly elliptical.

What Colour is Mercury surface?

Mercury is slate gray while Venus is pearly white, Earth a vibrant blue, and Mars a dusky red.

Can you walk on the surface of Mercury?

Could humans land on Mercury’s surface? In spite of being so close to the Sun, and wild swings in extreme temperatures, humans could technically walk on the planet’s surface. Mercury’s slow rotation means it takes 59 Earth days for it to turn around once.

What makes Mercury unique?

One of the most notable features on Mercury is Caloris Basin, an impact crater about 960 miles wide that formed early in the planet’s history. Mercury has no rings, no moons, and a relatively weak magnetic field. Mercury is a scarred world covered in craters, ridges, and bright debris from numerous impacts.

What is Mercury’s surface conditions?

Since Mercury has hardly any atmosphere, it does not have weather like storms, clouds, winds or rain. Its surface temperature can reach 801 Fahrenheit during the day (because it is so close to the Sun) and can drop to -279 Fahrenheit at night (because there is no atmosphere to trap the daytime heat).

How is Mercury’s surface different from Earth?

In terms of its surface, Mercury is much more like the Moon than Earth. It has a dry landscape pockmarked by asteroid impact craters and ancient lava flows. Combined with extensive plains, these indicate that the planet has been geologically inactive for billions of years.

What are 4 properties of Mercury?

Mercury has a melting point of -38.9oC, a boiling point of 356.7oC, and is the only metal to remain in liquid form at room temperature. Droplets of liquid mercury are shiny and silver-white with a high surface tension, appearing rounded when on flat surfaces.

What are 10 interesting facts about Mercury?

• Mercury is the closest planet to The Sun. …
• It is the second hottest planet in the Solar System. …
• Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System. …
• Mercury is a Rocky Planet. …
• Mercury has a crater named after Dr Suess. …
• A day on Mercury takes 59 Earth days. …
• Mercury’s year is just 88 Earth Days.

• Mercury is the closest planet to The Sun. …
• It is the second hottest planet in the Solar System. …
• Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System. …
• Mercury is a Rocky Planet. …
• Mercury has a crater named after Dr Suess. …
• A day on Mercury takes 59 Earth days. …
• Mercury’s year is just 88 Earth Days.

What are 5 facts about the element Mercury?

• Atomic number: 80.
• Atomic weight: 200.592.
• Melting point: 234.32 K (-38.83°C or -37.89°F)
• Boiling point: 629.88 K (356.73°C or 674.11°F)
• Density: 13.5336 grams per cubic centimeter.
• Phase at room temperature: Liquid.
• Element classification: Metal.
• Period number: 6.

• Atomic number: 80.
• Atomic weight: 200.592.
• Melting point: 234.32 K (-38.83°C or -37.89°F)
• Boiling point: 629.88 K (356.73°C or 674.11°F)
• Density: 13.5336 grams per cubic centimeter.
• Phase at room temperature: Liquid.
• Element classification: Metal.
• Period number: 6.

Is Mercury’s surface smooth?

New measurements of impact craters on Mercury’s smooth plains suggest that the topography of the solar system’s innermost planet is changing at twice the rate of landforms on the Moon.

Is the surface of Mercury liquid?

Mercury is a very dense, heavy, silver-white metal that is a liquid at room temperature. (For more information about mercury, click here.) Mercury has a density of 13.5 g/mL, which is about 13.5 times denser than water (1.0 g/mL), so a small amount of mercury like this feels unexpectedly heavy.

Is Mercury a hard surface?

Mercury is similar in that it has a hard rocky surface like Earth’s. You could walk around on Mercury if you had a space suit and could take the extreme temperatures.