Atmosphere
As Mercury Spins
Features
Missions to Mercury
What's in a Name?
5
What color would the sun be if you stood on Mercury?
White
5
Mercury revolves very slowly around the sun. True or False
False - it has the fastest orbit in our solar system!
5
I Mercury a gaseous planet or terrestrial?
Terrestrial
5
Which of the missions to Mercury were unmanned?
All of them!
5
What is an "earth day"?
How long it takes for the earth to spin on its axis (24 hours).
10
What is one gas in our atmosphere that Mercury does not have?
Oxygen
10
How many earth days does it take for Mercury to rotate around once on its axis?
59 earth days
10
Mercury is about the same size as which other object in the sky?
Moon
10
Which was the first spacecraft mission to Mercury?
Mariner 10
10
What does this picture show?
Crater
15
Why does it get so cold on Mercury even though it's so close to the sun?
Mercury has no atmosphere, so the warmth from the sun during the day does not get trapped inside.
15
How many earth days does it take for Mercury to revolve around the sun (a year to pass)?
88 earth days!
15
How do astronomers believe Mercury got its craters?
They believe asteroids hit the planet over and over.
15
What two groups are working together with the BepiColombo mission to Mercury?
Europe and Japan
15
What type of orbit is this that Mercury has? Use the vocabulary word you learned.
Elliptical
20
Why is Mercury so hot during the day?
Because there is no atmosphere to block the intensity of the sun's rays. AND Mercury is the closest planet to the sun!
20
When is the best time to see Mercury in the sky?
Just before sunrise
Just before sunset
20
What does it mean that Mercury is a "terrestrial" planet?
It means that Mercury is solid. You can walk on it.
20
Explain what was so unique about the end of MESSENGER's mission to Mercury.
It crashed into Mercury at a very high speed and made a new crater.
20
How did Mercury get its name?
The Romans named Mercury after their god of travel, because Mercury goes so fast.
25
Why does Mercury look dark all the time, even when the sun is shining?
Because it doesn't have an atmosphere that has air particles to scatter light waves all over the sky.
25
What do we learn about God's character from our study of Mercury?
(Student response may vary)
25
Compare and contrast: why does Mercury have so many craters from asteroids and Earth does not?
Mercury has no atmosphere, while Earth's atmosphere burns up most asteroids.
25
What was one of the biggest discoveries of the MESSENGER mission to Mercury?
They found ice at the poles of Mercury.
25
When scientists say that Mercury is "transiting the sun", what do they mean?
Mercury is passing across the sun, so we can see a tiny black dot in front of the sun that looks like a sunspot.