Mercury is one of the smallest-sized planet in the solar system, located also at the closest distance from the sun. The moon is a celestial body, which is relatively close to the Earth. In all, in the history of mankind, 12 people have visited the moon. The satellite flies to Mercury for six months. Today they reach the moon in just three days. What makes both of these celestial bodies interesting for astronomers and other scientists?
Why do earthlings need the Moon and Mercury?
The most frequently asked question regarding them is as follows: “Which celestial body is larger - the Moon or Mercury?”. Why does this mean so much to scientists? The fact is that Mercury is the closest candidate in order to colonize it. Like the Moon, Mercury is not surrounded by atmosphere. A day here lasts a very long time and amounts to as many as 59 Earth days.
The planet rotates around its axis very slowly. But not only the question of which larger celestial body - the Moon or Mercury - interests scientists in connection with possible colonization. The fact is that the development of Mercury may be prevented by its proximity to the main body of our system. But scientists suggest that there may be ice caps at the poles of the planet that could facilitate the colonization process.
The planet closest to the Sun
On the other hand, close proximity to the star can guarantee a constant supply of solar energy, if scientists can still colonize the planet and build energy stations on it. Researchers believe that due to the small inclination of Mercury, there may be sections in its territory called “peaks of eternal light”. They are of primary interest to scientists. In the soil of Mercury there are large ore deposits that can be used to create space stations. And also its soils are rich in the element Helium-3, which could also become a source of inexhaustible energy.
Difficulties in the study of Mercury
Mercury has always been very difficult to study for astronomers. First of all, due to the fact that the planet is obscured by the bright rays of the main body of the system. That is why scientists for a very long time could not determine which celestial body is larger - the Moon or Mercury. A planet rotating in the vicinity of the Sun always turns to the star on the same side. Despite this, in the past, scientists have tried to map the back of Mercury. But she was not very popular, and she was treated with skepticism. For a very long time it was extremely difficult to determine which celestial body is larger - the Moon or Mercury. Photos of these planets allowed us to conclude that they are approximately the same.
Craters on the Moon and Mercury
One of the first astronomical discoveries was the discovery of craters on Mars and the Moon. Then scientists expected that there would be plenty of them on Mercury. After all, this planet in size is located between the Moon and Mars. Moon or Mercury - which is larger and what can it have to do with craters? All this became known after Mercury twice flew around an interplanetary station called Mariner-10. She took a huge number of photographs, and detailed maps of Mercury were also compiled. Now there was as much knowledge about the planet as there was about the Earth’s satellite.
It turned out that there are as many craters in Mercury as there are on the Moon. And a surface of this kind had exactly the same origin - countless meteor showers and powerful volcanoes were to blame for everything. Even a scientist could not distinguish the surface of Mercury from the surface of a satellite of the Earth from photographs.
Pits from meteorites on these celestial bodies are formed due to the lack of an atmosphere that could soften blows from the outside. Previously, scientists believed that Mercury still has an atmosphere, only very rarefied. The planet’s gravity cannot hold onto its surface an atmosphere that could be similar to Earth. Nevertheless, the instruments of the Mariner-10 station showed that the concentration of gases at the surface of the planet is greater than in space.
Is colonization of the moon possible ?
The first obstacle that gets in the way of those who wish to populate the Earth’s satellite is its constant exposure to meteorite bombing. Attacks of meteorites, as scientists have found, occur a hundred times more often than previously thought. Various changes are constantly taking place on the surface of the moon. Meteorite craters can range in diameter from a few centimeters to 40 meters.
However, in 2014, Roscosmos made a statement that by 2030 Russia would begin a program for mining minerals on the moon. With regard to such programs, the question of which celestial body is larger - the Moon or Mercury - fades into the background. After all, so far this statement has been made only in relation to the satellite of the Earth. Russia is not going to colonize Mercury yet. Plans for mining on the moon were announced on Cosmonautics Day in 2014. For this, a scientific program is already being developed at the RAS.
Moon or Mercury - which is larger and which planet is better for colonization?
On Mercury, the temperature is about 430 ° C. And it can drop to -180 ° C. At night, on the surface of the Earth’s satellite, the temperature also drops to -153 ° , and during the day it can reach +120 ° . In this respect, these planets are equally unsuitable for colonization. Which celestial body is larger - the moon or mercury? The answer will be: the planet is still larger. Mercury is larger than the moon in size. The diameter of the moon is 3474 km, and the diameter of Mercury is 4879 km. Therefore, so far, dreams for settling outside the Earth for mankind remain fantastic.