Things you may not know about Mercury

Mercury is the sun closest to the sun in the solar system, it has been studied quite well by scientists over time.

>>>Learn the secret of Mercury formation

From their studies, scientists around the world have discovered 10 interesting facts about Mercury.

Here are the facts you may not know about:

1. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, however, its surface is extremely cold. The daytime temperature here can reach 840 degrees F (450 degrees C) while the night temperature drops to -275 degrees F (-170 degrees C). Extremely cold. The daily temperature amplitude is more than 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius) - the largest for solar system planets.

Mercury's surface is particularly cold

2. Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. The planet's diameter is about 4,876km, which is about the same as the continental part of the United States and only slightly larger than the Moon.

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System

The planet is even smaller than Saturn's Moon (Titan) and Jupiter's Moon (Ganymede). In the past, Pluto had the smallest diameter, however, later when it was " downgraded" to "dwarf" levels , Mercury occupies the title of "the smallest planet in the Solar System".

3. Each survived the collision with the giant meteorite. Scientists believe that a large meteorite has "crashed" into Mercury from about 4 billion years ago, creating a giant crack to more than 1,500km on the planet's surface.

Caloris Basin is the name of this crack, it is as big as Texas. Previous studies have shown that meteorites have crashed into Mercury more than 100km wide.

4. The orbit around the Sun of Mercury is the fastest. No planet in the Solar System can compare with Mercury on its orbit. Its rotation speed is 180,000 km / h in elliptical shape and this makes it only take 88 days on Earth to complete its orbit.

The orbit around the Sun of Mercury is the fastest

5. Frost exists on Mercury. Scientists believe that in the giant cracks on the surface Mercury exists ice. Besides, the north and south poles of this planet are cold and very dark, able to hold water in an icy state.

Comets and meteors seem to have originally brought water, creating frost on Mercury. Or maybe because the water on the terrain evaporates, then hardens to become icy.

6. Mercury's core is quite large and is made of iron. The iron core of Mercury accounts for 75% of its radius and contains more iron components than any other planet in the Solar System.

Mercury's core is composed mostly of iron

Scientists are unsure about iron content in Mercury core and they are also questioning the formation of its internal structure.

7. There are already surface geological maps of Mercury. A spacecraft from NASA, named Messenger - operating in Mercury orbit in 2011 has sent to the Space Center clear images on the surface. From there, scientists can draw an accurate map of the planet's geology.

The geological map of Mercury has been successfully drawn

8. The atmosphere in Mercury is very thin. And supposedly the thinnest in the Solar System. It is so thin that scientists have to put a different name, instead of "atmosphere" but "outer layer".

9. Mercury has "tail". Scientists have confirmed that there is a line of objects that seem to be detached from Mercury's surface. They call these lines the "tail" of the planet.

Scientists cannot explain Mercury's tail

There is no exact explanation for this "tail" part, but may be due to Mercury's magnetic field and wind from the Sun.

10. Mercury can own volcanoes. The majority of Mercury is covered by dry lava. The northern plateau looks very flat by this lava layer.

Volcanoes may have been active on Mercury

Although volcanoes have never been found on this star, NASA thinks that Mercury's formation is definitely related to the activity of large volcanoes.