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Quiz on Mercury: The Innermost Planet of the Solar System

This quiz assesses knowledge about Mercury, focusing on its physical characteristics, geological activity, and magnetic properties.

#Mercury #Solar System #Planetary Science #Astronomy

1 Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the ________,[9] orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 days.

2 [25] Much of Mercury’s surface rock could have been vaporized at such temperatures, forming an atmosphere of "rock vapor" which could have been carried away by the ________.

3 Due to Mercury’s 3:2 spin–orbit resonance, a ________ (the length between two meridian transits of the Sun) lasts about 176 Earth days.

4 Mercury’s orbit is inclined by 7° to the plane of Earth’s orbit (the ________), as shown in the diagram on the right.

5 ________ found high proportions of calcium, helium, hydroxide, magnesium, oxygen, potassium, silicon and sodium.

6 What is the aphelion of Mercury (planet)?

7 ________ of elements within Mercury’s crust is another source of helium, as well as sodium and potassium.

8 Despite its small size and slow 59-day-long rotation, Mercury has a significant, and apparently global, ________.

9 Hydrogen and helium atoms probably come from the ________, diffusing into Mercury’s magnetosphere before later escaping back into space.

10 [33] During this time the planet was volcanically active; basins such as the Caloris Basin were filled by ________ from within the planet, which produced smooth plains similar to the maria found on the Moon.

💡 Interesting Facts

  • the south pole of the planet Mercury is located in the Bach quadrangle.
  • the north pole of the planet Mercury is located in the Borealis quadrangle.
  • the Tolstoj crater, a 400-km (240 mile) wide impact crater on the planet Mercury has an extensive, and remarkably well-preserved, radially-lineated ejecta blanket.
  • the dominant feature in the Shakespeare quadrangle is the 1300-km wide Caloris Planitia, the largest and best preserved impact basin on Mercury observed by the spacecraft Mariner 10.
  • with the diameter of 715 km (444 mi) Rembrandt (pictured) is the second largest impact crater on Mercury.
  • the Kuiper crater in the Kuiper quadrangle, named after Dutch American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (pictured), has the highest albedo recorded on Mercury.
  • the European and Japanese collaborative BepiColombo mission (pictured) is planned to be the first extensive mission to Mercury since Mariner 10.
  • water vapor is probably present in the tenuous atmosphere of Mercury, being brought to the planet by comets.
  • ridges and escarpments in the Victoria quadrangle of the planet Mercury have been associated with the stresses caused by the sun slowing Mercury's rotation through tidal forces.
  • systematic mapping of the Michelangelo quadrangle on Mercury has revealed the presence of four nearly obliterated multi-ring impact basins, possibly the oldest features in the mapped areas of the planet.
  • the Beethoven crater in the Beethoven quadrangle on Mercury is the eleventh largest named impact crater in the Solar System.
  • the Caloris Basin on Mercury, one of the largest impact basins in the Solar System, is surrounded by a series of geological formations believed to have been produced by the basin's ejecta.
  • scarps, ridges, and troughs, such as the 650 km (400 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) high Discovery Rupes cutting through the Rameau crater, are common features in the Discovery quadrangle on the planet Mercury.
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