Time on Earth is taken for granted. People don't realize that the interval by which time is measured is relative. For example, days and years are measured based on physical factors: the distance from the planet to the Sun is taken into account. One year is equal to the time it takes for the planet to circle the Sun, and one day is the time it takes to completely rotate around its axis. The same principle is used to calculate time on other celestial bodies of the solar system. Many people are interested in how long a day is on Mars, Venus and other planets?
On our planet, a day lasts 24 hours. It takes exactly this many hours for the Earth to rotate around its axis. The length of the day on Mars and other planets is different: in some places it is short, and in others it is very long.
Definition of time
To find out how long a day is on Mars, you can use solar or sidereal days. Last option measurements is the period during which the planet makes one rotation around its axis. The day measures the time it takes for the stars in the sky to become in the same position from which the countdown began. Star Trek Earth is 23 hours and almost 57 minutes.
A solar day is a unit of time during which the planet rotates around its axis relative to sunlight. The principle of measuring this system is the same as when measuring the sidereal day, only the Sun is used as a reference point. Sidereal and solar days can be different.
How long is a day on Mars according to the stellar and solar system? A sidereal day on the red planet is 24 and a half hours. A solar day lasts a little longer - 24 hours and 40 minutes. A day on Mars is 2.7% longer than on Earth.
When sending vehicles to explore Mars, the time on it is taken into account. The devices have a special built-in clock, which diverges from the earth’s clock by 2.7%. Knowing how long a day is on Mars allows scientists to create special rovers that are synchronized with the Martian day. The use of special clocks is important for science, since Mars rovers are powered by solar panels. As an experiment, a clock was developed for Mars that took into account the solar day, but it was not possible to use it.
The prime meridian on Mars is considered to be the one that passes through a crater called Airy. However, the red planet does not have time zones like Earth.
Martian time
Knowing how many hours there are in a day on Mars, you can calculate the length of a year. The seasonal cycle is similar to the Earth's: Mars has the same inclination as the Earth (25.19°) in relation to its own orbital plane. The distance from the Sun to the red planet varies at various periods from 206 to 249 million kilometers.
Temperature readings differ from ours:
- average temperature -46 °C;
- during the period of removal from the Sun, the temperature is about -143 ° C;
- V summer time- -35 °C.
Water on Mars
Scientists made an interesting discovery in 2008. The Mars rover discovered water ice at the planet's poles. Before this discovery, it was believed that only carbon dioxide ice existed on the surface. Even later, it turned out that precipitation falls in the form of snow on the red planet, and carbon dioxide snow falls near the south pole.
Throughout the year, storms are observed on Mars that extend over hundreds of thousands of kilometers. They make it difficult to track what is happening on the surface.
A year on Mars
The red planet circles the Sun in 686 Earth days, moving at a speed of 24 thousand kilometers per second. A whole system for designating Martian years has been developed.
While studying the question of how long a day on Mars is in hours, humanity has made many sensational discoveries. They show that the red planet is close to Earth.
Length of a year on Mercury
Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It rotates around its axis in 58 Earth days, that is, one day on Mercury is 58 Earth days. And to fly around the Sun, the planet needs only 88 Earth days. This amazing discovery shows that on this planet, a year lasts almost three Earth months, and while our planet circles the Sun, Mercury makes more than four revolutions. How long is a day on Mars and other planets when compared with Mercury time? This is surprising, but in just one and a half Martian days a whole year passes on Mercury.
Time on Venus
The time on Venus is unusual. One day on this planet lasts 243 Earth days, and a year on this planet lasts 224 Earth days. It seems strange, but such is the mysterious Venus.
Time on Jupiter
Jupiter is our largest planet solar system. Based on its size, many people think that the day on it lasts a long time, but this is not so. Its duration is 9 hours 55 minutes - this is less than half the length of our earthly day. The gas giant rotates rapidly around its axis. By the way, because of it, constant hurricanes and strong storms rage on the planet.
Time on Saturn
A day on Saturn lasts about the same as on Jupiter, 10 hours 33 minutes. But a year lasts approximately 29,345 Earth years.
Time on Uranus
Uranus is an unusual planet, and determining how long daylight hours will last on it is not so easy. A sidereal day on the planet lasts 17 hours and 14 minutes. However, the giant has a strong axis tilt, causing it to orbit the Sun almost on its side. Because of this, at one pole summer will last 42 Earth years, while at the other pole it will be night at that time. When the planet rotates, the other pole will be illuminated for 42 years. Scientists have come to the conclusion that a day on the planet lasts 84 Earth years: one Uranian year lasts almost one Uranian day.
Time on other planets
While studying the question of how long a day and a year last on Mars and other planets, scientists have found unique exoplanets where a year lasts only 8.5 Earth hours. This planet is called Kepler 78b. Another planet, KOI 1843.03, was also discovered with a shorter rotation period around its sun - just 4.25 Earth hours. Every day a person would become three years older if he lived not on Earth, but on one of these planets. If people could adjust to the planetary year, then it would be best to go to Pluto. On this dwarf, a year is 248.59 Earth years.
Here on Earth, we tend to take time for granted, never considering that the increments in which we measure it are quite relative.
For example, the way we measure our days and years is actually a result of our planet's distance from the Sun, the time it takes to revolve around it, and to rotate on its own axis. The same is true for other planets in our solar system. While we Earthlings calculate the day in 24 hours from dawn to dusk, the length of one day on another planet differs significantly. In some cases, it is very short, while in others, it can last more than a year.
Day on Mercury:
Mercury is the closest planet to our Sun, ranging from 46,001,200 km at perihelion (closest distance to the Sun) to 69,816,900 km at aphelion (farthest). Mercury takes 58.646 Earth days to rotate around its axis, meaning that a day on Mercury takes approximately 58 Earth days from dawn to dusk.
However, it takes Mercury only 87,969 Earth days to circle the Sun once (aka its orbital period). This means that a year on Mercury is equivalent to approximately 88 Earth days, which in turn means that one year on Mercury lasts 1.5 Mercury days. Moreover, Mercury's northern polar regions are constantly in shadow.
This is due to its axial tilt of 0.034° (compared to Earth's 23.4°), which means Mercury does not experience extreme seasonal changes where days and nights can last for months, depending on the season. It is always dark at the poles of Mercury.
A day on Venus:
Also known as "Earth's twin", Venus is the second closest planet to our Sun - ranging from 107,477,000 km at perihelion to 108,939,000 km at aphelion. Unfortunately, Venus is also the slowest planet, a fact that is obvious when you look at its poles. Whereas the planets in the solar system experienced flattening at the poles due to their rotational speed, Venus did not survive it.
Venus rotates at a speed of only 6.5 km/h (compared to Earth's rational speed of 1670 km/h), which results in a sidereal rotation period of 243.025 days. Technically, this is minus 243.025 days, since Venus's rotation is retrograde (i.e., spinning in the opposite direction of its orbital path around the Sun).
Nevertheless, Venus still rotates around its axis in 243 Earth days, that is, many days pass between its sunrise and sunset. This may seem strange until you know that one Venusian year lasts 224,071 Earth days. Yes, Venus takes 224 days to complete its orbital period, but more than 243 days to go from dawn to dusk.
Thus, one Venus day is slightly more than a Venusian year! It's good that Venus has other similarities with Earth, but it's clearly not a daily cycle!
Day on Earth:
When we think of a day on Earth, we tend to think of it as simply 24 hours. In truth, the sidereal rotation period of the Earth is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds. So one day on Earth is equivalent to 0.997 Earth days. It's strange, but then again, people prefer simplicity when it comes to time management, so we round up.
At the same time, there are differences in the length of one day on the planet depending on the season. Due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, the amount of sunlight received in some hemispheres will vary. The most striking cases occur at the poles, where day and night can last for several days and even months, depending on the season.
At the North and South Poles during winter, one night can last up to six months, known as the "polar night". In summer, the so-called “polar day” will begin at the poles, where the sun does not set for 24 hours. It's actually not as simple as I would like to imagine.
A day on Mars:
In many ways, Mars can also be called “Earth’s twin.” Add seasonal variations and water (albeit frozen) to the polar ice cap, and a day on Mars is pretty close to a day on Earth. Mars makes one revolution around its axis in 24 hours. 
37 minutes and 22 seconds. This means that one day on Mars is equivalent to 1.025957 Earth days.
Seasonal cycles on Mars are similar to ours on Earth, more than on any other planet, due to its 25.19° axial tilt. As a result, Martian days experience similar changes with the Sun, which rises early and sets late in the summer and vice versa in the winter.
However, seasonal changes last twice as long on Mars because the Red Planet is at a greater distance from the Sun. This results in a Martian year lasting twice as long as an Earth year—686.971 Earth days or 668.5991 Martian days, or sols.
Day on Jupiter:
Given the fact that it is the largest planet in the solar system, one would expect the day on Jupiter to be long. But, as it turns out, a day on Jupiter officially lasts only 9 hours, 55 minutes and 30 seconds, which is less than a third of the length of an Earth day. This is due to the fact that the gas giant has a very high rotation speed of approximately 45,300 km/h. This high rotation rate is also one of the reasons why the planet has such strong storms.
Note the use of the word formal. Since Jupiter is not a solid body, its upper atmosphere moves at a different speed than at its equator. Basically, the rotation of Jupiter's polar atmosphere is 5 minutes faster than that of the equatorial atmosphere. Because of this, astronomers use three reference frames.
System I is used in latitudes from 10°N to 10°S, where its rotation period is 9 hours 50 minutes and 30 seconds. System II is applied at all latitudes north and south of them, where the rotation period is 9 hours 55 minutes and 40.6 seconds. System III corresponds to the rotation of the planet's magnetosphere, and this period is used by the IAU and IAG to determine the official rotation of Jupiter (i.e. 9 hours 44 minutes and 30 seconds)
So, if you could theoretically stand on the clouds of a gas giant, you would see the sun rise less than once every 10 hours at any latitude of Jupiter. And in one year on Jupiter, the Sun rises approximately 10,476 times.
Day on Saturn:
The situation of Saturn is very similar to Jupiter. Despite its large size, the planet has an estimated rotation speed of 35,500 km/h. One sidereal rotation of Saturn takes approximately 10 hours 33 minutes, making one day on Saturn less than half an Earth day.
Saturn's orbital period is equivalent to 10,759.22 Earth days (or 29.45 Earth years), with a year lasting approximately 24,491 Saturn days. However, like Jupiter, Saturn's atmosphere rotates at different speeds depending on latitude, requiring astronomers to use three different reference frames.
System I covers the equatorial zones of the South Equatorial Pole and the North Equatorial Belt, and has a period of 10 hours 14 minutes. System II covers all other latitudes of Saturn except the north and south poles, with a rotation period of 10 hours 38 minutes and 25.4 seconds. System III uses radio emissions to measure Saturn's internal rotation rate, which resulted in a rotation period of 10 hours 39 minutes 22.4 seconds.
Using these different systems, scientists have obtained various data from Saturn over the years. For example, data obtained during the 1980s by the Voyager 1 and 2 missions indicated that a day on Saturn is 10 hours, 45 minutes and 45 seconds (±36 seconds).
In 2007, this was revised by researchers in UCLA's Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, resulting in the current estimate of 10 hours and 33 minutes. Much like Jupiter, the problem with accurate measurements stems from the fact that different parts rotate at different speeds.
Day on Uranus:
As we approached Uranus, the question of how long a day lasts became more complex. On the one hand, the planet has a sidereal rotation period of 17 hours 14 minutes and 24 seconds, which is equivalent to 0.71833 Earth days. Thus, we can say that a day on Uranus lasts almost as long as a day on Earth. This would be true if it were not for the extreme tilt of the axis of this gas-ice giant.
With an axial tilt of 97.77°, Uranus essentially revolves around the Sun on its side. This means that its north or south faces directly towards the Sun at different times orbital period. When it is summer at one pole, the sun will shine continuously there for 42 years. When the same pole is turned away from the Sun (that is, it is winter on Uranus), there will be darkness there for 42 years.
Therefore, we can say that one day on Uranus, from sunrise to sunset, lasts as long as 84 years! In other words, one day on Uranus lasts as long as one year.
Also, as with other gas/ice giants, Uranus rotates faster at certain latitudes. Therefore, while the planet's rotation at the equator, approximately 60° south latitude, is 17 hours and 14.5 minutes, the visible features of the atmosphere move much faster, completing a complete rotation in just 14 hours.
Day on Neptune:
Finally, we have Neptune. Here, too, measuring one day is somewhat more complicated. For example, Neptune's sidereal rotation period is approximately 16 hours, 6 minutes and 36 seconds (equivalent to 0.6713 Earth days). But due to its gas/ice origin, the planet's poles replace each other faster than the equator.
Considering that the planet's magnetic field rotates at a rate of 16.1 hours, the equatorial zone rotates approximately 18 hours. Meanwhile, the polar regions rotate within 12 hours. This differential rotation is brighter than any other planet in the Solar System, resulting in strong latitudinal wind shear.
In addition, the planet's axial tilt of 28.32° leads to seasonal variations similar to those on Earth and Mars. Neptune's long orbital period means that a season lasts for 40 Earth years. But since its axial tilt is comparable to Earth's, the change in the length of its day during its long year is not so extreme.
As you can see from this summary of the various planets in our solar system, the length of the day depends entirely on our frame of reference. In addition, the seasonal cycle varies depending on the planet in question and where on the planet the measurements are taken.
0.147 Earth
0.056 Earth
0.055 Earth
0.984 Earth
0,38
281.01°
0.106 (geom. albedo)
24.9% sodium
9.5%, A. oxygen
7.0% argon
5.9% helium
5.6%, M. oxygen
5.2% nitrogen
3.6% carbon dioxide
3.4% water
3.2% hydrogen
Mercury in natural color(Mariner 10 photo)
Mercury- the planet closest to the Sun in the Solar System, orbits the Sun in 88 Earth days. Mercury is classified as an inner planet because its orbit is closer to the Sun than the main asteroid belt. After Pluto was deprived of its planetary status in 2006, Mercury acquired the title of the smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury's apparent magnitude ranges from −2.0 to 5.5, but it is not easily visible due to its very small angular distance from the Sun (maximum 28.3°). At high latitudes, the planet can never be seen in the dark night sky: Mercury is always hidden in the morning or evening dawn. The optimal time for observing the planet is morning or evening twilight during periods of its elongations (periods of Mercury's maximum distance from the Sun in the sky, occurring several times a year).
It is convenient to observe Mercury at low latitudes and near the equator: this is due to the fact that the duration of twilight there is shortest. In mid-latitudes it is much more difficult to find Mercury and only during the period of the best elongations, and in high latitudes it is impossible at all.
Relatively little is known about the planet yet. The Mariner 10 apparatus, which studied Mercury in -1975, managed to map only 40-45% of the surface. In January 2008, the interplanetary station MESSENGER flew past Mercury, which will enter orbit around the planet in 2011.
In its physical characteristics, Mercury resembles the Moon and is heavily cratered. The planet has no natural satellites, but has a very thin atmosphere. The planet has a large iron core, which is the source of a magnetic field in its totality that is 0.1 of the Earth’s. Mercury's core makes up 70 percent of the planet's total volume. The temperature on the surface of Mercury ranges from 90 to 700 (−180 to +430 °C). The sunny side heats up much more than the polar regions and reverse side planets.
Despite its smaller radius, Mercury still exceeds in mass such satellites of the giant planets as Ganymede and Titan.
The astronomical symbol of Mercury is a stylized image of the winged helmet of the god Mercury with his caduceus.
History and name
The oldest evidence of observations of Mercury can be found in Sumerian cuneiform texts dating back to the third millennium BC. e. The planet is named after the god of the Roman pantheon Mercury, analogue of Greek Hermes and Babylonian Naboo. The ancient Greeks of Hesiod's time called Mercury "Στίλβων" (Stilbo, the Shining One). Until the 5th century BC. e. The Greeks believed that Mercury, visible in the evening and morning skies, were two different objects. In ancient India, Mercury was called Buddha(बुध) and Roginea. In Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean, Mercury is called water star(水星) (in accordance with the ideas of the “Five Elements”. In Hebrew, the name of Mercury sounds like “Kohav Hama” (כוכב חמה) (“Solar Planet”).
Planet movement
Mercury moves around the Sun in a fairly elongated elliptical orbit (eccentricity 0.205) at an average distance of 57.91 million km (0.387 AU). At perihelion, Mercury is 45.9 million km from the Sun (0.3 AU), at aphelion - 69.7 million km (0.46 AU). At perihelion, Mercury is more than one and a half times closer to the Sun than at aphelion. The inclination of the orbit to the ecliptic plane is 7°. Mercury spends 87.97 days on one orbital revolution. The average speed of the planet's orbit is 48 km/s.
For a long time it was believed that Mercury constantly faces the Sun with the same side, and one revolution around its axis takes the same 87.97 days. Observations of details on the surface of Mercury, carried out at the limit of resolution, did not seem to contradict this. This misconception was due to the fact that the most favorable conditions for observing Mercury repeat after a triple synodic period, that is, 348 Earth days, which is approximately equal to six times the rotation period of Mercury (352 days), therefore approximately the same surface area was observed at different times planets. On the other hand, some astronomers believed that Mercury's day was approximately equal to Earth's. The truth was revealed only in the mid-1960s, when radar was carried out on Mercury.
It turned out that a Mercury sidereal day is equal to 58.65 Earth days, that is, 2/3 of a Mercury year. This commensurability of the periods of rotation and revolution of Mercury is a unique phenomenon for the Solar System. It is presumably explained by the fact that the tidal action of the Sun took away angular momentum and retarded the rotation, which was initially faster, until the two periods were related by an integer ratio. As a result, in one Mercury year, Mercury manages to rotate around its axis by one and a half revolutions. That is, if at the moment Mercury passes perihelion a certain point on its surface is facing exactly the Sun, then at the next passage of perihelion the exact opposite point on the surface will be facing the Sun, and after another Mercury year the Sun will again return to the zenith above the first point. As a result, a solar day on Mercury lasts two Mercury years or three Mercury sidereal days.
As a result of this movement of the planet, “hot longitudes” can be distinguished on it - two opposite meridians, which alternately face the Sun during Mercury’s passage of perihelion, and which, because of this, are especially hot even by Mercury standards.
The combination of planetary movements gives rise to another unique phenomenon. The speed of rotation of the planet around its axis is practically constant, while the speed of orbital motion is constantly changing. In the orbital region near perihelion, for approximately 8 days the speed of orbital motion exceeds the speed of rotational motion. As a result, the Sun stops in the sky of Mercury and begins to move in reverse direction- from west to east. This effect is sometimes called the Joshua effect, named after the main character of the Book of Joshua from the Bible, who stopped the movement of the Sun (Joshua, X, 12-13). For an observer at longitudes 90° away from the “hot longitudes,” the Sun rises (or sets) twice.
It is also interesting that although Mars and Venus are the closest in orbit to Earth, it is Mercury that is most of the time the closest planet to Earth than any other (since the others move away more, not being so “tied” to the Sun).
Physical characteristics
Comparative sizes of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet. Its radius is only 2439.7 ± 1.0 km, which is smaller than the radius of Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturn's moon Titan. The mass of the planet is 3.3 × 10 23 kg. The average density of Mercury is quite high - 5.43 g/cm³, which is only slightly less than the density of Earth. Considering that the Earth is larger in size, the density value of Mercury indicates an increased content of metals in its depths. The acceleration of gravity on Mercury is 3.70 m/s². The second escape velocity is 4.3 km/s.
Kuiper Crater (just below center). Photo from MESSENGER spacecraft
One of the most noticeable features of the surface of Mercury is the Plain of Heat (lat. Caloris Planitia). This crater got its name because it is located near one of the “hot longitudes”. Its diameter is about 1300 km. Probably, the body whose impact formed the crater had a diameter of at least 100 km. The impact was so strong that the seismic waves, having passed through the entire planet and focused at the opposite point on the surface, led to the formation of a kind of rugged “chaotic” landscape here.
Atmosphere and physical fields
When the Mariner 10 spacecraft flew past Mercury, it was established that the planet had an extremely rarefied atmosphere, the pressure of which was 5 × 10 11 times less than the pressure of the Earth’s atmosphere. Under such conditions, atoms collide more often with the surface of the planet than with each other. It consists of atoms captured from the solar wind or knocked out from the surface by the solar wind - helium, sodium, oxygen, potassium, argon, hydrogen. The average lifetime of a certain atom in the atmosphere is about 200 days.
Mercury has a magnetic field whose strength is 300 times less than the Earth's magnetic field. Mercury's magnetic field has a dipole structure and is highly symmetrical, and its axis deviates only 2 degrees from the planet's axis of rotation, which imposes a significant limitation on the range of theories explaining its origin.
Research
An image of a section of Mercury's surface taken by MESSENGER
Mercury is the least studied terrestrial planet. Only two devices were sent to study it. The first was Mariner 10, which flew past Mercury three times in -1975; the closest approach was 320 km. As a result, several thousand images were obtained, covering approximately 45% of the planet's surface. Further research from Earth showed the possibility of the existence of water ice in polar craters.
Mercury in art
- In Boris Lyapunov's science fiction story "Nearest to the Sun" (1956), Soviet cosmonauts land on Mercury and Venus for the first time to study them.
- Isaac Asimov's story "Mercury's Big Sun" (Lucky Starr series) takes place on Mercury.
- Isaac Asimov's stories "Runaround" and "The Dying Night", written in 1941 and 1956 respectively, describe Mercury with one side facing the Sun. Moreover, in the second story, the solution to the detective plot is based on this fact.
- In the science fiction novel The Flight of the Earth by Francis Karsak, along with the main plot, a scientific station for studying the Sun, located at the North Pole of Mercury, is described. Scientists live at a base located in the eternal shadow of deep craters, and observations are carried out from giant towers constantly illuminated by the luminary.
- In Alan Nurse's science fiction story "Across the Sunny Side", the main characters cross the side of Mercury facing the Sun. The story is written in accordance with scientific views of its time, when it was assumed that Mercury was constantly facing the Sun with one side.
- In the anime animated series Sailor Moon, the planet is personified by the warrior girl Sailor Mercury, aka Ami Mitsuno. Her attack is based on the power of water and ice.
- In Clifford Simak's science fiction story "Once Upon a Time on Mercury", the main field of action is Mercury, and the energy form of life on it - balls - surpasses humanity by millions of years of development, having long passed the stage of civilization.
Notes
See also
Literature
- Bronshten V. Mercury is closest to the Sun // Aksenova M.D. Encyclopedia for children. T. 8. Astronomy - M.: Avanta+, 1997. - P. 512-515. - ISBN 5-89501-008-3
- Ksanfomality L.V. Unknown Mercury // In the world of science. - 2008. - № 2.
Links
- Website about the MESSENGER mission (English)
- Photos of Mercury taken by Messenger (English)
- BepiColombo mission section on the JAXA website
- A. Levin. Iron Planet Popular Mechanics No. 7, 2008
- “The closest” Lenta.ru, October 5, 2009, photographs of Mercury taken by Messenger
- “New photographs of Mercury have been published” Lenta.ru, November 4, 2009, about the rapprochement of Messenger and Mercury on the night of September 29-30, 2009
- "Mercury: Facts & Figures" NASA. Summary physical characteristics of the planet.
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Mercury is the planet that is closest to the Sun. There is practically no atmosphere on Mercury, the sky there is dark as night and the Sun always shines brightly. From the planet's surface, the Sun would appear 3 times larger in size than Earth's. Therefore, temperature differences on Mercury are very pronounced: from -180 o C at night to unbearably hot +430 o C during the day (at this temperature lead and tin melt).
This planet has a very strange account of time. On Mercury, you will have to set the clock so that a day lasts about 6 Earth months, and a year lasts only 3 (88 Earth days). Although the planet Mercury has been known since ancient times, for thousands of years people had no idea what it looked like (until NASA transmitted the first images in 1974).
Moreover, ancient astronomers did not immediately understand that they saw the same star in the morning and evening. The ancient Romans considered Mercury the patron of trade, travelers and thieves, as well as the messenger of the gods. It is not surprising that a small planet, quickly moving across the sky following the Sun, received his name.
Mercury is the smallest planet after Pluto (which was declassified as a planet in 2006). The diameter is no more than 4880 km and is quite a bit larger than the Moon. Such a modest size and constant proximity to the Sun create difficulties for studying and observing this planet from Earth.
Mercury also stands out for its orbit. It is not circular, but more elongated elliptical, when compared with other planets of the solar system. The minimum distance to the Sun is approximately 46 million kilometers, the maximum is approximately 50% greater (70 million).
Mercury receives 9 times more sunlight than the Earth's surface. The lack of an atmosphere to protect from the sun's burning rays causes surface temperatures to rise to 430 o C. This is one of the hottest places in the Solar System.
The surface of the planet Mercury is the personification of antiquity, not subject to time. The atmosphere here is very thin, and there has never been any water at all, so erosion processes were practically absent, except for the consequences of the fall of rare meteorites or collisions with comets.
Gallery
Did you know...
Although the closest orbits to Earth are Mars and Venus, Mercury is often the closest planet to Earth, since the others move away more, not being as “tied” to the Sun.
There are no seasons on Mercury like on Earth. This is due to the fact that the planet's axis of rotation is at almost right angles to the orbital plane. As a result, there are areas near the poles that the sun's rays never reach. This suggests that there are glaciers in this cold and dark zone.
Mercury moves faster than any other planet. The combination of its movements causes the Sun to rise on Mercury only briefly, after which the Sun sets and rises again. At sunset this sequence is repeated in reverse order.
Mercury is very heavy for its size - apparently it has a huge iron core. Astronomers believe that the planet was once larger and had thicker outer layers, but billions of years ago it collided with a protoplanet, sending part of its mantle and crust flying into space.
Science
Imagine becoming 3 years older every day. If you lived on one exoplanet, you would feel it yourself. Scientists have discovered a planet the size of Earth that orbits its star in just 8.5 hours.
The exoplanet, named Kepler 78b, is located 700 light years from Earth and has one of shortest orbital periods.
Because it is so close to its star, its surface temperature reaches 3000 degrees Kelvin or 2726 degrees Celsius.
In such an environment, the surface of the planet is most likely completely molten, and represents a huge stormy ocean of very hot lava.
Exoplanets 2013
Discovering the planet was not easy. Before finding the super-hot exoplanet, scientists examined more than 150,000 stars observed by the Kepler telescope. Researchers are now looking at telescope data in hopes find an Earth-sized planet that was potentially habitable.
Scientists have captured light reflected or emitted from the planet. They determined that Kepler 78b is 40 times closer to its star than Mercury is to our Sun.
In addition, the host star is relatively young, as it rotates twice as fast as the Sun. This suggests that not much time had passed for her to slow down.
In addition, scientists discovered planet KOI 1843.03 with an even shorter orbital period, where a year lasts only 4.25 hours.
It is so close to its star that it is almost entirely made of iron, since anything else would simply be destroyed by the incredible tidal forces.
Planets of the Solar System: how long is a year there?
The Earth is in constant motion: it rotates around its axis (day) and rotates around the Sun (year).
A year on Earth is the time it takes for our planet to revolve around the Sun, which is just over 365 days.
However, other planets in the solar system orbit the sun at different speeds.
How long is a year on the planets of the solar system?
Mercury - 88 days
Venus - 224.7 days
Earth – 365, 26 days
Mars – 1.88 Earth years
Jupiter – 11.86 Earth years
Saturn – 29.46 Earth years
Uranus – 84 Earth years
Neptune – 164.79 Earth years
Pluto (dwarf planet) – 248.59 Earth years
