Interesting that “messengers” were so important to the ancients that the profession had a deified representative. Hermes/Mercury was one of the 12 Olympians, and ranked right up there with primal forces like the weather, the sea, love, etc.
..though Pluto is now a Kuiper belt object,I say it should be granfathered in as a planet…I mean,come on…Disney World isn’t a world,but we still call it one…
I thought the planet Mercury was named after the ancient god of 4 wheeled chariots. Come to think of it, that god recently got demoted too, just like Pluto.
Mercury was not just the flower-delivery guy to the gods; he was a god in his own right: the god of boundaries and borders, and the “trickster” god. The planet also turned out to be something of a trickster–I am old enough to remember when astronomers were absolutely certain that Mercury was like the moon, presenting only one face to the sun. They were quite surprised, and had to do a lot of scrambling to explain when it was discovered that the planet actually does revolve on its axis at a rate different from its rotation around the sun. “Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice… uh… won’t get fooled again!”
I talked to a college professor who’s a member of the International Astronomy Union (the people who demoted Pluto), and he said the arguments for considering Pluto a planet were emotional rather than scientific.
And don’t forget the other dwarf planets: Makemake, Sedna, and Quaoar. They started the whole demotion move.
90 to 700 K (−183 °C to 427 °C), and it orbits twice -two years- for every three of its days, per Wikipedia.
Mariner 10 mapped about 45% of the planet’s surface from 1974 to 1975. The MESSENGER spacecraft mapped a further 30% during its flyby of January 14, 2008. MESSENGER’s last flyby took place in September 2009 and it is scheduled to attain orbit around Mercury in 2011, where it will begin mapping the rest of the planet.
(And there might be ice in the bottom of some polar craters, just like our Moon - handy for ‘living off the land’.)
One of the most interesting things about this, and other summaries about Mercury, is that the sun appears much smaller from Mercury than most would expect. I’d wager that most people think the Sun is an overwhelming presence on Mercury - filling perhaps half the sky - when in reality, it’s not all that bigger than it appears from earth - only three times bigger.
Mercury’s rotation period is 58 days, or 2/3 of a Mercurian year. However, a Mercurian solar day—the time from sunrise to sunrise, as viewed from the planet’s surface—is twice as long as a Mercurian year. Be careful to say what you mean by “day”, Prof.
margueritem about 13 years ago
Whew, I’m glad you added that non recommendation, Dr. Mel!
lewisbower about 13 years ago
As a Postal retiree, I know Mercury was the first mailman with wings on his feet, a logo stolen by FTD. Sorry, no delivey on Roman Holidays
mrsullenbeauty about 13 years ago
Interesting that “messengers” were so important to the ancients that the profession had a deified representative. Hermes/Mercury was one of the 12 Olympians, and ranked right up there with primal forces like the weather, the sea, love, etc.
Bilan about 13 years ago
Dr Mel didn’t tell us how many Starbucks it has.
crobinson019 about 13 years ago
I guess Doctor Mel isn’t counting Pluto as a planet either…
3hourtour Premium Member about 13 years ago
..though Pluto is now a Kuiper belt object,I say it should be granfathered in as a planet…I mean,come on…Disney World isn’t a world,but we still call it one…
gordrogb Premium Member about 13 years ago
I thought the planet Mercury was named after the ancient god of 4 wheeled chariots. Come to think of it, that god recently got demoted too, just like Pluto.
Varnes about 13 years ago
The planets first name was Freddy, wasn’t it?
margueritem about 13 years ago
Varnes, yes. You just can’t see the moustache in these views.
To me Pluto will always be a planet. It’s a sentimental thing.
puddleglum1066 about 13 years ago
Mercury was not just the flower-delivery guy to the gods; he was a god in his own right: the god of boundaries and borders, and the “trickster” god. The planet also turned out to be something of a trickster–I am old enough to remember when astronomers were absolutely certain that Mercury was like the moon, presenting only one face to the sun. They were quite surprised, and had to do a lot of scrambling to explain when it was discovered that the planet actually does revolve on its axis at a rate different from its rotation around the sun. “Fool me once, shame on you… fool me twice… uh… won’t get fooled again!”
Trebor39 about 13 years ago
Mercury is a dangerous substance. Just ask Mr. Quicksilver.
Sherlock Watson about 13 years ago
Didn’t the Beatles sing a song about Mercury, called “Five Years a Week”? Or did I take the wrong pills again?
Keith Messamer about 13 years ago
I talked to a college professor who’s a member of the International Astronomy Union (the people who demoted Pluto), and he said the arguments for considering Pluto a planet were emotional rather than scientific.
And don’t forget the other dwarf planets: Makemake, Sedna, and Quaoar. They started the whole demotion move.
pbarnrob about 13 years ago
90 to 700 K (−183 °C to 427 °C), and it orbits twice -two years- for every three of its days, per Wikipedia.
Mariner 10 mapped about 45% of the planet’s surface from 1974 to 1975. The MESSENGER spacecraft mapped a further 30% during its flyby of January 14, 2008. MESSENGER’s last flyby took place in September 2009 and it is scheduled to attain orbit around Mercury in 2011, where it will begin mapping the rest of the planet.
(And there might be ice in the bottom of some polar craters, just like our Moon - handy for ‘living off the land’.)
Thanks, Dr. Mel!
kirkhaverkamp about 13 years ago
One of the most interesting things about this, and other summaries about Mercury, is that the sun appears much smaller from Mercury than most would expect. I’d wager that most people think the Sun is an overwhelming presence on Mercury - filling perhaps half the sky - when in reality, it’s not all that bigger than it appears from earth - only three times bigger.
Prof_Bleen about 13 years ago
Mercury’s rotation period is 58 days, or 2/3 of a Mercurian year. However, a Mercurian solar day—the time from sunrise to sunrise, as viewed from the planet’s surface—is twice as long as a Mercurian year. Be careful to say what you mean by “day”, Prof.