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• 1st planet from the sun

  Mercury
• Smallest planet in the solar system

  Mercury
• Has no atmosphere because the gases escape to space

  Mercury
• No satellites

  Mercury
• This planet was named after the god of thievery, commerce, and travel. Greek Counterpart is Hermes

  Mercury
• 2 exploration devices made it on mercury

  Mariner 10 and MESSENGER
• This mercury device studied its atmosphere, surface, and physical characteristics (1973-1975)

  Mariner 10
• This mercury device study the map surface composition, magnetic field, and interior structure

  MESSENGER
• MESSENGER

  • cosmic rays from outer space detected
  • solar x rays results in fluorescent x rays sent to outer space and detected
• Average density is 5.5 times more dense than water

  Mercury
• 2.5 times smaller gravity on earth

  Mercury
• Goes 2% of the speed at which earth rotates

  Mercury
• Mercury's crust is made of iron and magnesium silicates
• Mercury's core is made of iron
• Earth's mantle is thicker than mercury's
• Mercury's core is about the size of Earth
• In surface composition, light blue/white areas are young crater rays
• In surface composition, darker blue areas is mercury's crust
• In surface composition, yellow/tan areas are volcanic plains
• planet's surface enriched with sulfur, magnesium, and carbon but depleted in iron, aluminum, and calcium
• Cratered Terrain: heavily cratered regions
• Caloris Basin: 1300 km diameter. could drive from London to the other side of Ontario
• Smooth Plains: resemble lunar maria, sparsely cratered, leveled and fill. major depressions
• Formation of Mercury

  • metal toward the center with increasing temp and pressure
  • increasing density at the center
  • separation of metal and silicate
  • started with a proto-mercury planet
  • impactor struck it
  • molten mercury remnant
• 2nd planet from the sun

  Venus
• Most intense greenhouse effect in the solar system

  Venus
• Venus' surface temp is 740 K (467 decrees celsius)
• This planet was named after the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite.


  Venus
• This exploration device made a fly by to gather information on the atmosphere and surface of Venus (August 27th 1962)


  Mariner 2
• This exploration device was the first to land and transmit photos from the surface of another planet (1961-1984)

  Venera Missions
• This exploration device makes quality radar maps of venus' surface (1989-1994)

  Magellan
• This exploration device studied that atmosphere and made it passed its 500 day mission 


  Venus Express
• Venus Express

  • first European spacecraft to orbit Venus
  • Evidence of past oceans on Venus
  • more lighting on Venus than earth
  • discovered huge atmospheric vortex at the south pole of Venus
  • 300-400 km/h
• 1 gram per cm cube is the density of water
• Venus' core is iron rich
• Venus' mantle has iron and magnesium silicates
• Venus' atmosphere is carbon dioxide
• There are 3 geological provinces on Venus

  Lowlands, Uplands, Highlands
• Lowlands

  • covers most of the planet on Venus (60%)
  • few volcanos
  • resembles earth oceanic floor, lunar maria, and northern lowlands of Mars
• Uplands

  • isolated domes and broad swells
  • transitional between lowlands and highlands
  • volcanic features and coronae common