Mercury Help~!!!?

Question

Can you tell me sumthing about Mercury based on it's atmosphere? And if yu can, answer this question: Why is Mercury hot and cold? And give some details. Thanks~! I'm really pissed right now so I dont feel like doing it. Thanks =]

Answer 1

wrong page, this is automobile section.

Answer 2

The planet Mercury is very difficult to study from the Earth because it is always so close to the Sun. Even at elongation, it is never more than 28 degrees from the Sun in our sky. It is the second smallest planet (it was believed to be the smallest until the discovery that Pluto is actually much smaller than originally thought), and also the fastest in its orbit since it is the innermost planet. In fact, the name Mercury derives from its speed in moving around its orbit.

Mercury is too small for its gravity to retain any significant atmosphere over long periods of time; however, it does have a tenuous atmosphere containing hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium and potassium. This atmosphere is not stable—atoms are continuously lost and replenished from a variety of sources. Hydrogen and helium atoms probably come from the solar wind, diffusing into Mercury’s magnetosphere before later escaping back into space. Radioactive decay of elements within Mercury’s crust is another source of helium, as well as sodium and potassium. Water vapor is probably present, being brought to Mercury by comets impacting on its surface.

Technical Data

Diameter
4878 km

Average Distance from Sun
57.8 million km

Size compared to Earth
0.4x

Gravity compared to Earth
0.38

Surface Temperature
Max Day Side 467°C
Min Night Side -183°C

Length of day
58 Earth days 16 hours

Length of year
87.9 days

Eccentricity of Orbit
0.206

Density
5.43 g/cm3

Atmosphere
Oxygen - 56%
Sodium - 35%
Helium - 8%
Potassium & Hydrogen - 1%

Answer 3

Mercury unlike most metal in our atmosphere pressure is in a melted state, the atoms are too exicited to solidify ( excited atoms are considered (hot). So even though the temperature is low, you could say that the atoms are hot because of the excitement. If you could increase the pressure, or lower the temp, the mercury would solidify.