Mercury (inner 5) Flashcards
When can Mercury be seen and why
In twilight because it is so close to the sun
Does Mercury have any moons
Nope
Does Mercury have an atmosphere
Nope
How long does it take Mercury to complete a rotation (rotation period)
59 days
How long does it take Mercury to go round the sun (orbital period)
88 days
How long is Mercurys rotation period compared to its orbital period
rotaion period is 2/3 of its orbital period
How long is a solar day on mercury
88 days
How many flybys did mariner 10 do and what was its function
3 flybys
Sent back detailed photos of surface of
Mercury and searched for magnetic fields
How many orbits and flybys did messenger do
4104 orbits and 3 flybys
4 General features of Mercury
First appearance is that Mercury is similar to the Moon
No significant atmosphere
Heavily cratered with craters of many sizes and different ages
There are some large basins
How big is the Caloris Basin and 2 key features
Approx. 1550 km in diameter
Partially filled by lava flows and surrounded by concentric rings of hills up to 3 km high
What are 2 posssible explanations for the lava flows in the Caloris basin
The lava flows may be from the interior of Mercury or from rock melted by the impact
Why is there weird terrain on the opposite side of Mercury to the Caloris Basin
Shock waves traversed Mercury from the Caloris Basin impact, these where focussed to the other side oft he planet
What are lobate scarps
curved cliffs up to 3km high, newer than some of the craters that they cut across
How were the lobate scarps formed
Mercury shrank as it cooled, as the interior shrank, its surface wrinkled. Lobate scarps are wrinkles.
