))
Evening Mercury
Archived series ("HTTP Redirect" status)
Replaced by: StarDate Premium Audio
When?
This feed was archived on January 01, 2017 12:48 (
Why? HTTP Redirect status. The feed permanently redirected to another series.
What now? If you were subscribed to this series when it was replaced, you will now be subscribed to the replacement series. This series will no longer be checked for updates. If you believe this to be in error, please check if the publisher's feed link below is valid and contact support to request the feed be restored or if you have any other concerns about this.
Manage episode 168761437 series 1329684
Content provided by McDonald Observatory. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by McDonald Observatory or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
The little planet Mercury is putting in a brief evening appearance right now. You need to look at just the right time to see it, though. And the view is best from southern latitudes; from the north, you might not be able to see it at all.
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system — only about half again the diameter of the Moon. And its surface looks a lot like the Moon’s — it’s covered with impact craters, mountains, and volcanic plains. And there’s evidence that the surface is still being sculpted by Mercury itself.
Mercury’s interior has been cooling since the planet was born. As it cools, it shrinks. That causes the crust to shrink as well.
Scientists have seen evidence of that shrinkage in the form of scarps — giant cliffs that can be miles high and hundreds of miles long.
A recently concluded mission to Mercury also found some smaller scarps. Such small features are quickly erased by meteorite impacts. The fact that they still exist means that they formed fairly recently. They probably formed as the crust continued to cool and shrink — although at a much slower rate than when Mercury was young. They show that Mercury is still geologically active — rattled by its ever-shrinking crust.
Look for Mercury quite low in the southwest about 30 to 45 minutes after sunset, far to the lower right of brilliant Venus. Mercury looks like a fairly bright star, but you may need binoculars to pluck it from the fading twilight.
Script by Damond Benningfield
27 episodes
Share
