Comments on: The colors of Mercury http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:52:03 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Tom Marking http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-130132 Tom Marking Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:47:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-130132 "This means that there should be a rather large area at the poles in which the crater bottoms are always in shadow and the crater rims are always in sunshine." More specifically, a 1-kilometer wide rocky asteroid impacting at 30 km/sec at an angle of 45 degrees leaves an impact crater on Mercury that is 22.2 km wide and 1.18 km deep. If such an impact crater were to occur within 6 degrees of latitude of either the Mercurian north pole or south pole (i.e., Mercurian latitude is greater than 84 degrees North or less than 84 degrees South) then the bottom of such a crater will be in perpetual darkness. This area where the crater can be and be dark at the bottom represents 0.5 percent of the total surface area of Mercury. “This means that there should be a rather large area at the poles in which the crater bottoms are always in shadow and the crater rims are always in sunshine.”

More specifically, a 1-kilometer wide rocky asteroid impacting at 30 km/sec at an angle of 45 degrees leaves an impact crater on Mercury that is 22.2 km wide and 1.18 km deep. If such an impact crater were to occur within 6 degrees of latitude of either the Mercurian north pole or south pole (i.e., Mercurian latitude is greater than 84 degrees North or less than 84 degrees South) then the bottom of such a crater will be in perpetual darkness. This area where the crater can be and be dark at the bottom represents 0.5 percent of the total surface area of Mercury.

]]> By: Tom Marking http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-130090 Tom Marking Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:10:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-130090 @John Lerch "Are the great circle arcs, lines of ejecta or are they artifacts of the data storage? I presume they’re not meridians drawn (by NASA) from the mercury pole; so how are the poles for habitation–are there craters at the poles deep enough to be comfortable (sun never rises)?" The rays are real. They appear to be coming from the crater at the top of the image. It must be one of the more recent craters to form. The axial tilt of Mercury is the smallest of any planet in the solar system. It is only 0.035 degrees. This means that there should be a rather large area at the poles in which the crater bottoms are always in shadow and the crater rims are always in sunshine. @John Lerch “Are the great circle arcs, lines of ejecta or are they artifacts of the data storage? I presume they’re not meridians drawn (by NASA) from the mercury pole; so how are the poles for habitation–are there craters at the poles deep enough to be comfortable (sun never rises)?”

The rays are real. They appear to be coming from the crater at the top of the image. It must be one of the more recent craters to form. The axial tilt of Mercury is the smallest of any planet in the solar system. It is only 0.035 degrees. This means that there should be a rather large area at the poles in which the crater bottoms are always in shadow and the crater rims are always in sunshine.

]]> By: John Lerch http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-130029 John Lerch Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:52:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-130029 Are the great circle arcs, lines of ejecta or are they artifacts of the data storage? I presume they're not meridians drawn (by NASA) from the mercury pole; so how are the poles for habitation--are there craters at the poles deep enough to be comfortable (sun never rises)? One would need a heat absorber/radiator to get rid of the last of the heat from the day and transport heat up for the worst of the nights. Are the great circle arcs, lines of ejecta or are they artifacts of the data storage?
I presume they’re not meridians drawn (by NASA) from the mercury pole; so how are the poles for habitation–are there craters at the poles deep enough to be comfortable (sun never rises)? One would need a heat absorber/radiator to get rid of the last of the heat from the day and transport heat up for the worst of the nights.

]]> By: IVAN3MAN http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-130007 IVAN3MAN Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:53:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-130007 Fidelus Astronautica: "Yes, the links working! Praise the Lord!" Praise the Lord, my hairy ass! You should really praise the web-master of this site for permitting the link to your crappy creationist propaganda web-site. :roll: Fidelus Astronautica: “Yes, the links working! Praise the Lord!”

Praise the Lord, my hairy ass! You should really praise the web-master of this site for permitting the link to your crappy creationist propaganda web-site. :roll:

]]> By: Joker http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-130005 Joker Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:46:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-130005 Well Fidel <i> (BTW. I’m guessing the ‘Fidel’ in your moniker here is from Fidel Castro, y’know that Cuban guy? Yeah? ) </i> I saw that link - and yes It made go "oh Jeez-Zus!" alright. ... But probably NOt inthe way youwere hoping for. If anyone wants to avoid wasting their time, Fidel's little linky is to a Creationist website - the one that used to be the long-since discredited Answ-errs-In-Genes-sis. <i>(Or something like that! ;-) ) </i> Basically it says - there are some unknown mysteries with Mercury -therefore ... GODDIDIT! Its rubbish. @ Shane - Nah, Pluto not being a planet isn't the worst error there by a long margin. In fact, the whole article is one long error - and besides, Pluto is too a planet - coz K9 from Dr Who said so! ;-) .. & I've wasted more'n'enough time on this nonsense already. :-( Well Fidel (BTW. I’m guessing the ‘Fidel’ in your moniker here is from Fidel Castro, y’know that Cuban guy? Yeah? )

I saw that link – and yes It made go “oh Jeez-Zus!” alright.

… But probably NOt inthe way youwere hoping for.

If anyone wants to avoid wasting their time, Fidel’s little linky is to a Creationist website – the one that used to be the long-since discredited Answ-errs-In-Genes-sis. (Or something like that! ;-) )

Basically it says – there are some unknown mysteries with Mercury -therefore … GODDIDIT! Its rubbish.

@ Shane – Nah, Pluto not being a planet isn’t the worst error there by a long margin. In fact, the whole article is one long error – and besides, Pluto is too a planet – coz K9 from Dr Who said so! ;-)

.. & I’ve wasted more’n'enough time on this nonsense already. :-(

]]> By: shane http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-129988 shane Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:59:18 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-129988 Thank you Fidelus, my eyes have seen the glory and I am going to repent of the evils of evolution and sinful astronomy. If I was American I would be lining up now to vote for McCain/Palin - blessed be their names.... :roll: Nah, not really. Obviously that webpage was written by a biologist because they keep referring to evolutionists saying this and that about planetary formation. I think the word they're looking for is <i>astronomer</i> or <i>astrophysicist</i>. There is so much wrong with that article I don't know where to begin. The most obvious error? Pluto is a planet? Puhleeese. Thank you Fidelus, my eyes have seen the glory and I am going to repent of the evils of evolution and sinful astronomy. If I was American I would be lining up now to vote for McCain/Palin – blessed be their names….
:roll:
Nah, not really.

Obviously that webpage was written by a biologist because they keep referring to evolutionists saying this and that about planetary formation. I think the word they’re looking for is astronomer or astrophysicist. There is so much wrong with that article I don’t know where to begin. The most obvious error? Pluto is a planet? Puhleeese.

]]> By: Fidelus Astronautica http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/comment-page-1/#comment-129979 Fidelus Astronautica Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:32:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/29/the-colors-of-mercury/#comment-129979 Yes, the links working! Praise the Lord! I hope all those proud scientists here have the intelligence to visit this site and really, really *think* about the challenges Mercury poses us mortal men and women with our guesswork theories versus the Eternal Word. Go on evolutionists read it & really think! And when you're done thinking search your heart for what's really true. Yes, the links working! Praise the Lord!

I hope all those proud scientists here have the intelligence to visit this site and really, really *think* about the challenges Mercury poses us mortal men and women with our guesswork theories versus the Eternal Word.

Go on evolutionists read it & really think!

And when you’re done thinking search your heart for what’s really true.

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