why is Mercury so heavily cratered?

Question

need it for sci project, HELP ME NOW!!!!!!!!! MAN!!!!!!

Answer 1

meteors. mercury has a hella thin atmosphere to stop the meteors from hitting the surface.

Answer 2

The surface of any planet with no atmosphere is going go 1) get hit more often by meteors that make it to the surface (meteorites) and 2) With no atmosphere, there is no erosion to erase the craters, just like the moon. (The earth has been hit often, but the craters get eroded away over time.) And finally 3) I seem to recall from somewhere, that due to it's closeness to the sun, it has been smacked more often because the sun's gravity sucks objects toward it, and if it Mercury is in the way... BAM!

Answer 3

think about this, things such as rocks and such are moving around in space. when they bump into eachother they could be moving pretty quick already since there is no resistance to volocity. now if some thing gets bumped toward the sun then its own velocity plus the gravity of the sun sends this thing just screaming through space. increasing in velocity the closer it gets to the sun. and the combined gravity of mercury inline with the sun would just send it even faster. mercury is closer to the sun than any other planet. so besides the sun its the last thing, that the fastest things can hit, and whith no atmosphere to stop it it just smashes into it at thousands of miles per hour. thus creating giant creators.

Answer 4

it's so heavily cratered because alot of meteors hit the planet. also it's because of all the volcanic activity going on there but the main reason is still the meteor impacts

Answer 5

Because it has no atmosphere to burn up the meteorites upon entry like we do, so both Mars and our Moon get equally pummelled with meteorites.

Answer 6

No I won't help you MAN. People who don't even try to do their homework deserve NO help.