What is the temperature on the planet Mercury?
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What is the temperature on the planet Mercury?
It is understood that the sunny side may reach temperatures of 750 to 800 degrees F., while the nighttime temperature plummets to nearly -330 degrees F. The average temperature on Mercury is a balmy 354 degrees F.
How hot does it get on the side of Mercury that is closest to the sun?
800 degrees Fahrenheit
It has a lot of impact craters. Mercury has almost no atmosphere. Because it is so close to the sun, it can be very hot. On its sunny side, Mercury can reach a scorching 800 degrees Fahrenheit!
What is the temperature on the dark side of Mercury?
The average dark-side temperature is 111 degrees +/- 3 degrees K. The thermal inertia of the surface required to fit this temperature is close to that for the moon and indicates that Mercury and the moon have very similar top surface layers.
What is the average temperature of a planet that is Mercury distance away from the sun?
– 800°F
Average Temperature on Each Planet Venus is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun and dense atmosphere make it our solar system’s hottest planet. The average temperatures of planets in our solar system are: Mercury – 800°F (430°C) during the day, -290°F (-180°C) at night.
What God is Mercury named after?
Because Mercury was the fastest planet as it moved around the Sun, it was named after the Roman messenger god Mercury. Mercury was also the god of travelers. According to myth, he had a winged hat and sandals, so he could fly.
Is Mercury too hot for life?
Mercury’s environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures and solar radiation that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to.
What is the temperature on Mercury at night?
On top of this Mercury has one of the largest changes in temperature in the Solar System. During the day Mercury reaches a staggering 430 degrees Celsius, while at night the temperature plummets to -170 degrees Celsius. One idea for survival is to stick to the ‘terminator’, the line where night meets day.
Can You overtake the terminator at higher latitudes?
However, slower vehicles can overtake the terminator at higher latitudes, and it is possible to walk faster than the terminator at the poles, near to the equinoxes. The visual effect is that of seeing the sun rise in the west, or set in the east.
What is the terminator of a planet?
The terminator is defined as the locus of points on a planet or moon where the line through the center of its parent star is tangent. An observer on the terminator of such an orbiting body with an atmosphere would experience twilight due to light scattering by particles in the gaseous layer.
How often does Mercury spin on its side?
However, further studies revealed that the planet spins very slowly — only three times every two Mercury years, or once every 60 Earth days. Mercury’s low mass and proximity to the sun keep it from having anything but the thinnest of atmospheres, and this is the reason it must pass on being the hottest planet.