Look Up

One day on Mercury is very long – 59 Earth days. One day-night cycle on Mercury takes almost 176 Earth days. Mercury makes a complete orbit around the sun (a year in Mercury time) in just 88 Earth days. That is why it named after the fastest god in mythology. Because of Mercury’s elliptical or egg-shaped orbit and sluggish rotation, the morning sun appears to rise briefly, set and rise again from some parts of the planet’s surface. The same thing happens in reverse at sunset.

Mercury is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet. Mercury has a solid, cratered surface, similar to the Earth’s moon. Mercury’s thin atmosphere is composed mostly of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium and potassium. It is moonless and ringless. No evidence of life has been found on it. Most likely since daytime temperatures can reach 430 degrees and drop to

-180 degrees at night.

Two satellites of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are on their way to Mercury. NASA’s Mariner 10 was the first mission to explore Mercury. NASA’s Messenger was the first to orbit the innermost planet.

Nineplanets.org states that since Mercury is visible without the need of a telescope, many ancient civilizations saw the planet, which makes it nearly impossible to determine who discovered it first. However, it was first observed with the help of a telescope in early 17th century, by Galileo Galilei. Galileo’s crude telescope didn’t capture Mercury’s phases, this was later observed by astronomer Giovanni Zupi in 1639. He discovered that the planet had similar phases like Venus and the moon.

In both Greek and Roman mythology, Hermes or Mercury is known as the fastest of all gods and therefore wears a winged hat and winged shoes, according to https://hermesmercury.weebly.com. Zeus was his father and Maia, daughter of Atlas, was his mother. He carries the caduceus, a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. Hermes or Mercury is Zeus’ messenger, God of Commerce and Market, God of Thieves, and also the guide of the dead.

According to legend, Zeus impregnated Maia in the dead of night, in a cave, while all the other gods slept. When dawn broke, amazingly Hermes/Mercury was born. Maia wrapped him in swaddling bands, then rested herself and fell fast asleep. Hermes/Mercury managed to squirm free and ran off to Thessaly. This is where Apollo, his brother, grazed his cattle. Hermes/Mercury stole a number of the herd and drove them back to Greece and hid them in a small grotto. Before returning to the cave he caught a tortoise, killed it and removed its entrails. Using the intestines from a cow, stolen from Apollo and the hollow tortoise shell, he made the first lyre. When he returned to the cave, he wrapped himself back into the swaddling bands.

When Apollo realized he had been robbed he protested to Maia that it was his brother who took his cattle. Maia looked at the baby and said it couldn’t be since he was still wrapped in swaddling bands. Zeus intervened and said he watched Hermes/Mercury take the cattle and they should be returned to Apollo. But as the argument continued, Hermes/Mercury began to play his lyre. The sweet music enchanted Apollo and he offered Hermes/Mercury to keep the cattle in exchange for the lyre. Later Apollo became the grand master of the instrument and it also became one of his symbols. Another time later while Hermes/Mercury watched over Apollo’s herd, he invented the pipes known as a syrinx (panpipes), which he made from reeds. Hermes/Mercury is also credited with inventing the flute. Apollo also desired this instrument, so they bartered, and Hermes/Mercury received his golden wand which he eventually used as his heralds staff. (In other versions Zeus gave Hermes/Mercury Apollo’s heralds staff).

The smallest planet in our solar system has a big presence in our collective imagination. Scores of science fiction writers have been inspired by Mercury, including Isaac Asimov, C.S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and H.P. Lovecraft. Film writers have also found the planet an ideal location for storytelling. In the 2011 release of “Collision Earth,” the sun converts to a magnetar for a short time and the planet Mercury is thrown out of orbit and set on a collision course for Earth. It’s up to a disgraced scientist to save our planet!

Look Up appears in the weekend edition. If you have any astronomical questions or facts you’d like to share email news@smdailyjournal.com with the subject line “Look Up.”