Mercury is the first celestial body from the Sun in our planetary system. The planet was named Mercury in honor of the ancient Greek god - the patron saint of trade and enrichment, the son of Jupiter himself. A brief description of the planet Mercury will be presented in the article. You will also get acquainted with the history of its discovery, the role that this planet has in astrology, and interesting facts about it.
History of discovery and research
The exact date of the opening of Mercury is difficult to establish. It is authentically known that they already knew about it in Ancient Babylon. This is evidenced by collections of astrological tables dated to the 15th century BC, in which the planet appears under the name Mul apin ("jumping"). The god of wisdom and calligraphy Nanu patronized her. Mercury research was carried out by scientists in ancient China and India.
In ancient times, the ancient Greeks knew this celestial body under the name of Hermaon (Hermes), and the Romans - Mercury, corresponding to the Hermes of the god from their pantheon. As you can see, in all cases, the planet owes its name to the rapid movement through the sky.
Studies of its movement have also been conducted since ancient times. Thus, Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100-170) wrote about the possibility of Mercury passing through the solar disk, which will be described below, in the late Hellenistic era.
In the Middle Ages, an Arab astronomer named Az-Zarkali described the features of the planet’s orbit. Another scientist, Ibn Baja, in the XII century described the passage of two planets on the solar disk. Presumably these were Mercury and Venus.
The first scientist to observe Mercury through a telescope was Galileo Galilei. He was able to fix the phases of Venus, but did not fix them on Mercury. His telescope was not powerful enough.
In general, due to the fact that Mercury is the least distant planet from the Sun, it is still the least studied in the solar system. There, many of its parameters were determined incorrectly already in the 19th century. It even came to curiosities: for example, one of the researchers allegedly saw mountains on Mercury about 20 km high.
Currently, for the study of Mercury are used, in addition to visual, radio telescopic and radar methods. However, not all funds are available. So, for example, research using spacecraft is difficult due to the proximity of Mercury to the Sun.
Planet formation
The nebular hypothesis is fundamental to scientists when it comes to the formation of the planets of the solar system. As for Mercury, there is also an assumption regarding it that in the past it was a satellite of Venus, but was subsequently “lost” by this planet and began to independently move around the central star.
The parameters of the planet. Weight, dimensions, surface
What are the most important features that should be noted in the characteristics of the planet? Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars belong to the so-called Earth group. It includes solid celestial bodies of relatively small diameter compared to the gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. They have similar characteristics. And the planets Neptune and Mercury, for example, are complete opposites in many ways.
Mercury is the smallest of these celestial bodies. Its diameter is less than 0.4 terrestrial (about 4880 km). The physical characteristics of the planet Mercury, its description indicates that it has smaller dimensions than the two largest satellites of the planets of the solar system - Titan, the satellite of Saturn, and Ganymede, the satellite of Jupiter. However, Mercury is nevertheless an independent celestial body orbiting in an elliptical orbit around a central star. Moreover, its mass is still greater than that of the two mentioned small celestial bodies: approximately 3.3 x 10 23 kg (this is approximately 0.55 terrestrial).
The surface of the planet has clear signs of long-standing volcanic activity, earthquakes and impacts of other cosmic bodies. According to scientists, the last period of intense fall of meteorites Mercury suffered about 3.8 billion years ago.
Structure, density
Inside Mercury, according to scientists, as well as inside the Earth, there is a heavy iron core. Its mass is just over 0.8 the mass of the entire planet. The average density of Mercury is almost equal to the average density of the Earth. According to scientists, this suggests that the planet is rich in metals. There is a hypothesis that at the dawn of the formation of the Solar System, Mercury was more similar to the Earth, but, faced with the so-called planetesimal - a celestial body that rotates around a protostar and accumulates its own mass due to other celestial bodies and cosmic dust, it lost a significant part of matter, retaining almost one core.
Temperature, pressure, atmosphere
The contrast between the temperature on the sunny and shadowed sides of Mercury is enormous. The difference is 240 degrees Celsius (from -190 to +430). The pressure on the surface of the planet is less than the earth’s 5 x 10 11 times. The atmosphere is very thin, it is practically absent. Its main part is oxygen (42%), sodium (29%), hydrogen (22%). In addition to them, there are helium, water, carbon dioxide, inert gases and so on. Self-gravity and the magnetic field of the planet is not enough to maintain a constant atmosphere. The average duration of the "life" of atoms in it is about 200 days. These are mainly atoms that were “knocked out” by the solar wind from the surface of the planet or captured from the wind itself by Mercury.
Planet movement
Mercury revolves around the Sun faster than other planets. His year lasts only 88 earth days. The orbit is very elongated, and at the farthest point the planet is 1.5 times farther from the Sun than at the closest to it. The average speed of a celestial body in orbit is 48 km per second.
Change of seasons
The seasons, as such, in our understanding, are absent on the planet, since the axis of rotation of Mercury is located almost perpendicular to the plane of its orbit. As a result, the circumpolar regions are hardly illuminated by the Sun. Research using a telescope has allowed scientists to suggest that vast glaciers exist in these latitudes that are difficult to distinguish from the Earth due to the fact that they are covered with dust. Presumably their thickness can be about two meters.
The passage of the planet on the solar disk
This is a curious phenomenon of certain interest to astronomy lovers. An earth observer can see Mercury as a tiny dark point crossing a solar disk. The passage of Mercury is available for observation in May or November. It usually lasts about seven hours. Due to the characteristics of the parameters of the planet, such as a higher speed of movement and proximity to the Sun, it happens more often than the passage of Venus. The last passage of Mercury was observed in 2016, May 9. The next astronomers are to be seen in 2019, November 11.
Scientists have calculated that it is possible for both planets, Mercury, and Venus to simultaneously pass through the solar disk, but this phenomenon is so rare that it happens once every few hundred thousand years. So, it took place about 350 thousand years ago, and the next time it will be in 69,163. And after 11 427 years, in 13 425, these luminaries will cross the solar disk within one day, with an interval of only 16 hours.
This interesting phenomenon was first recorded in 1631, November 7, by the French philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and Catholic priest Pierre Gassendi.
Interesting Facts
Here are some interesting and unusual facts about this celestial body:
- Describing the planet Mercury, it is necessary to note the almost complete absence of its atmosphere. She is very thin. In addition, this planet is the only one in the solar system that does not have satellites. These parameters allow some researchers to compare it with the moon.
- After Pluto was recognized as a trans-Neptune object in 2006 , Mercury became rightfully called the smallest planet in the solar system.
- For the earth observer, Mercury at different intervals will be located in the west or in the east and will be visible in the morning or in the evening. This is due to the fact that due to the characteristics of its orbit, which is extremely elongated, Mercury can be located from the Earth at a distance of 82 to 217 million kilometers.
- For a long time it was believed that Mercury is constantly facing the Sun, like the Moon to the Earth, on the same side. Studies conducted in the middle of the last century have disproved this opinion. However, the uniqueness lies in the fact that the days on the planet are very long - about 59 Earth days, and at the same time make up almost two-thirds of the year on Mercury! In the characteristics of the terrestrial planets, and gas giants, such parameters are not found. This makes Mercury a unique celestial body in the solar system.
- If you believe the legend, the famous Copernicus was never able to observe Mercury through a telescope due to the fact that this celestial luminary is so difficult to “catch” (early in the morning or in the evening, almost near the horizon, and for a very short time). This assumption appeared due to the fact that the scientist described Mercury, using the results of observations of other astronomers, and kept silent about his own. Nikolai Copernicus recommended “hunting” the planet in the northern latitudes.
The influence of the planet Mercury in astrology
The astrological characterization of this celestial body suggests that Mercury is traditionally considered to be a planet responsible for human mental abilities, as well as eloquence, openness and a tendency to communicate, and assimilation of information. She patronizes scholars, speakers and traders. The latter, having a strong influence of Mercury in the horoscope, gain incredible eloquence, which allows them to sell goods profitably.
What other effect does planet Mercury have in astrology? The characteristics of a person who has experienced his positive influence will include such parameters as the ability to think quickly and clearly, move fast, be mobile and do a lot of things. Mercury patronizes the voice, and therefore, not only lecturers and speakers, but also singers. People in whose horoscope the strongly positive influence of Mercury sing beautifully, love music and dance. They are smart and smart, brave and resourceful, agile and quick.
The negative influence of the planet gives rise to a sarcastic attitude of a person to others, bile, evil irony. Such people are not only inventive, but also cunning. They are dodgy and dishonest, and often become scammers. Counterfeiters, document forgers are people who have experienced the negative influence of Mercury.
In the birth chart, the planet, as in life, is usually located near the Sun - in the same sign or in the neighboring one.
Finally
The article gave a brief description of the planet Mercury - its physical parameters, features of rotation around the Sun and its own axis. The influence of the planet on the personality according to astrology was also considered, interesting facts about it were given. This heavenly star, like other planets, is fraught with many mysteries, but sooner or later, thanks to the achievements of science, they will certainly be revealed, and the characteristics of Mercury will be replenished with new data.