Mercury's surprising core and landscape curiosities (Earth, light, Sun, solar)

[Brian.Pearson]

Mercury's core is different from any other planetary core in the Solar System. Earth has a metallic, liquid outer core sitting above a solid inner core. Mercury appears to have a solid silicate crust and mantle overlying a solid, iron sulfide outer core layer, a deeper liquid core layer, and possibly a solid inner core. These results have implications for how Mercury's magnetic field is generated and for understanding how the planet evolved thermally.

[Six Foot Three]

Cool stuff about mercury (thanks brian) and what an oddity that even though it's so close to the sun that it still has ice at it's poles.

[Brian.Pearson]

Originally Posted by 6 Foot 3

Cool stuff about mercury (thanks brian) and what an oddity that even though it's so close to the sun that it still has ice at it's poles.

6 Foot 3, could you point that out, about the ice? I'm not seeing it off-hand.

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Brian.Pearson

6 Foot 3, could you point that out, about the ice? I'm not seeing it off-hand.

Sure.

Although i should have stated ''possibly'' has ice at it's poles (my mistake).

BBC News - Mercury poles give up hints of water ice

[Brian.Pearson]

Originally Posted by 6 Foot 3

Sure.

Although i should have stated ''possibly'' has ice at it's poles (my mistake).

BBC News - Mercury poles give up hints of water ice

Well now I see what you are talking about -- the permanent shadow could be hiding ice.

[Brian.Pearson]

I have to spread some rep around...

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by 6 Foot 3

Cool stuff about mercury (thanks brian) and what an oddity that even though it's so close to the sun that it still has ice at it's poles.

It has ice at its poles because of its extremely slow rotational period. Mercury's day is longer than its year. Mercury orbits the sun in 87.969 days, and rotates once about its axis every 115.88 days.

So for almost three months only one side of Mercury is facing the sun. Which causes the side facing away from the sun to reach temperatures of -279.4ºF and the side facing the sun to reach temperatures of 800.6ºF.

Only those areas that are in perpetual shadow at the poles would have any evidence of water-ice. Without an atmosphere any sunlight would have caused water-ice to evaporate long ago.

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Glitch

It has ice at its poles because of its extremely slow rotational period. Mercury's day is longer than its year. Mercury orbits the sun in 87.969 days, and rotates once about its axis every 115.88 days.

So for almost three months only one side of Mercury is facing the sun. Which causes the side facing away from the sun to reach temperatures of -279.4ºF and the side facing the sun to reach temperatures of 800.6ºF.

Only those areas that are in perpetual shadow at the poles would have any evidence of water-ice. Without an atmosphere any sunlight would have caused water-ice to evaporate long ago.

Thanks for clearing all that up for us