•Mercury:Smallest Planet that might have been blown apartonceTERRESTRIAL- Rich insilicates(repeating crystals of silicon-oxygen andrandom metal atoms) and metal.Si04(Fe)2, (Si03)6-Be3Al2, Si04-Al2F2, Si308-K-AlCRUST AND MANTLES-Crust: material spewed from deeper in the planet by volcanism-Mantles: deep, hot, solid, high pressure rocky interiorCORES-High pressure iron: Studies show planets have heavy metalliccores- Earth’s liquid iron generates magnetic fieldsMERCURY’S CLAIMS TO FAME-Closest to sun- Smallest Planet- Atmosphere free, heavily crateredCALORIS-Nearly 1000 mile wide impact crater-Left bumps on the other side of Mercury- abt 3.8 million years ago during LBHECCENTRIC ORBIT- Mercury has the most eccentric orbit- closest approach to sun is 0.30 AUASTR-1345Planets and Moons12/8/2021P l a n e t s &M o o n s
- Furthest distance: 0.46 AUSTRIPPED-Large core- to mantle ratioabout 65% mass is metallic coreabout 30% of Earths mass is liquid outer core- Mercury suffered a vaporizing impactlost most of its massSTRETCHMARKS- Escarpments and cliffsInner layers cooling and shrinking causing solid crust toshrivel and crumbleSUNLIGHT BEATDOWN-fast orbit and a slow rotation88 days to orbit the sun, 58 days to turn once on its axisextreme long days and nightsSUNLIGHT BEATDOWN- Sun will appear 3.3x2.2 larger than it does on earthIonizing radiation (UV and X-ray) are absorbed by surfacerocks• Chemical bonds in the rock are broken• Solar wind particles slam into the surface• H and He atoms carry away freed atoms from the rockPENCIL PLANETPoints to Mercury as a lava ocean planet at some point• Graphite floats while other minerals sink• Covered over by later lava flows but dark patches remainGASSING OUTIntense solar wind lashes Mercury’s bare surface• Rocks “outgas” (evaporate/dissolve)• Rock vapor is blown out into the Solar System• Mercury is like a rock-spewing cometWRECKING BALL1% chance of being forced into an orbit that causes it to cross
orbits with Venus or hit the Sun• Chaos theory•Venus:The hottest, upside down planetTHE GREEN HOUSE ON STEROIDSVENUS CLAIM TO FAMESimilar size to the EarthUpside down and slowThe hottest planetVENUSEarth’s “evil twin”• Same mass/diameter, very different history• Hottest planet in the Solar System• 870°F globallyTHE CLUDS FROM HELLCO2 with sulfuric acid hydrate clouds• Reflect about 90% of the Sun’s light back into space• It’s substantially dimmer on Venus than on EarthTHE INVISIBLE SURFACEVenus’s reflective clouds block light from reaching/leaving thesurface• Cannot be conventionally photographed• Probes have pinged the surface with radarVisible light filters down and is absorbed by the crust• Hot rocks re-emit IR radiationRUNAWAY GREEHOUSEVenus’s clouds do not allow IR to escape• Trapped IR keeps the surface of Venus extremely hotVOLCANO PLANET
Dominated by shield or dome volcanos• Wide, flat domes• No tectonic plates/motions• Probably due to surface temperature• Soft crust doesn’t give very muchFACELIFTS
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