Introduction:

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun; it is also one of the four inner
planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars). Mercury and the other planets
were formed around 4.6 billion years ago. Mercury is also the smallest
planet, ranging at about 3,032 kilometers (1,880 miles); this size is even
smaller than some of Jupiter and Saturn's moons. Mercury also has the
fastest orbit among the other planets in our solar system.

Molten Mercury: Three layers of rock.

Now let's talk about the minerals that make up this planet. Do you know
that mercury’s core is made of about 85 percent iron with other minerals
like sulfur sprinkled in there? This means that even though Mercury is the
smallest planet in our solar system, it is also the densest planet in our solar
system. The large iron core could also explain the weird orbit that mercury
experiences, as normal planets like Earth orbit the sun in a circular orbit
(which means the distance from the Earth to the sun almost never changes
as the Earth orbits around the sun) while on the other hand, mercury
experiences its orbit like an oval shape (meaning that as mercury orbits the
sun its distance from the sun changes.) Mercury’s core also plays a role in
mercury's geological activity which refers to events that are happening
either on the surface or the inside of a planet. Mercury is much less active
than Earth due to its iron core not generating enough heat (because of its
slow rotation) to cause any geological activity. Earth and Mercury’s mantle
and crust are similar as they are both composed of silicate rocks, which are
a mix of elements such as magnesium, calcium, aluminum, potassium, and
other elements.

Mercury’s landscape.
Mercury’s land can tell us about its past experiences with massive impact
craters, which, like the earth's moon, lack an atmosphere and internal
geological properties like tectonic plates to be able to erase these craters.
The largest crater has been proclaimed with the name Caloris Basin; it
ranges at a size of 1550 kilometers. While one side of Mercury may be
heavily impacted, the other side shows a smooth surface due to past lava
flows, although the volcanic activity is still being debated by scientists.
Mercury’s Magnetic Field
Mercury’s magnetic field is suspiciously low. Just like Earth mercury’s core
runs under the Dynamo Theory in which liquid metal in the core moves
around and generates a magnetic field, and although mercury’s core is
plenty full of metal it still has different dynamics and mechanics which could
explain why mercury has a very low magnetic field. Signs of Mercury’s core
cooling down could also be a contender for Mercury’s lack of magnetic field
due to the cooling solidifying the iron insides of Mercury’s core. We may get
more information in the upcoming orbit of Bepicolombo; this would give us
rates about how solidified mercury’s core is and the internal motions of the
liquid metal.

Mercury's atmosphere (and solar events)

Mercury’s atmosphere is almost nonexistent except for the layer called the
exosphere, which is composed of elements such as hydrogen, helium,
oxygen, sodium, potassium, calcium, and H2O vapors (in small amounts).
Even though the exosphere is present, there is no chance of life surviving
in these conditions due to its distance from the sun. Due to the lack of
atmosphere, there is no weather. The lack of atmosphere also causes huge
temperature drops in the planet (because there is no atmosphere to trap
heat) this means that during the daytime on Mercury, the temperature is
scorching (temperature is around 430 Celsius during Mercury’s Daytime)
but at night time it becomes frigid and dark (the temperature during this
time is normally around -180 Celsius.)Now let's talk about how the
atmosphere relates to Solar Events Various things like Solar Winds, Solar
Radiation, etc. affect the planet on an almost daily frequency. These solar
events hit the planet Mercury at around 7 times more than Earth gets; they
also impact the planet much more due to them hindering the growth of the
planet's atmosphere (due to the solar winds blasting away the particles of
sodium and helium that make up the exosphere of Mercury). The lack of a
magnetic field also makes it harder for solar winds to bounce off of Mercury.

Early Observations Early Babylonian civilizations were theorized to have

discovered the planet Mercury, but they did not distinctly separate it from
Venus as they believed they were the same body. Early Greeks and
Romans also discovered the planet, and the Greeks called it Hermes after
their god Hermes, the messenger god, due to Mercury’s fast rotation. The
Romans adopted this and also called it their version of Hermes; they called
it Mercury. These discoveries were all made by the human eye, but in
1564–1642, the astronomer Galileo Galilei observed the planet through a
telescope. He observed its various phases (just like the moon). Then
Johannes Kepler observed the interaction of mercury and the sun, and he
helped in the battle of solidifying the understanding of mercury’s orbit
around the sun. We also had Pierre Gassendi, who was the first person to
witness a planet transiting the sun, which was Mercury. And now here we
are today with still ongoing missions like BepiColombo.

Sunburnt and Seeking Answers: A Mission to Mercury

You may be wondering how we have gotten this information. Well, on this
subtopic, we’ll explain. Mercury is much less explored compared to other
planets due to its proximity to the sun. The only spacecraft that has been
able to observe mercury is MESSENGER (a NASA-operated and built
spacecraft), and although it provided us with valuable information, it did not
land nor fully map the extensive area of mercury. Currently, there is a
mission that was collaborated on by ESA (European Space Agency) and
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). It has been proclaimed with
the name BepiColombo. This project was launched in 2018. The project
actually contains two different spacecraft: the MPO (Mercury Planetary
Orbiter) from ESA and the MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter) from
JAXA. Both orbiters are expected to be in Mercury's orbit in about 2025.
The mission is expected to bring information like geology, the exosphere,
and general information relating to Mercury. BepiColombo could be a
breakthrough in uncovering Mercury’s mysteries. BepiColombo could bring
us samples of the rocks containing mercury, which could be studied in
laboratories, which would provide us with information about mercury. But
currently, we’ll have to make do with the information we have.

Fun facts (to fill up the remaining 1-2 minutes):

1. Mercury is the quietest planet due to its atmosphere not being able to
transmit audio.
2. Mercury is the smallest planet.
3. Mercury is the densest planet.
4. Mercury is the fastest planet to orbit the sun, with one orbit only lasting
87 days and 17 hours, or 87.969.
5. Mercury has the slowest (solar) days, with one solar day lasting 176
earth days.
6. Mercury is slowly cooling down and is shrinking like a raisin in the sun.
7. Signs from radar transmissions show that there are ice capsules on the
side of Mercury where it is not facing the sun.
8. Mercury doesn't have any moons, just like Venus.
9. Scientists believe that Mercury was once bigger, but a huge impact
stripped off a significant portion of Mercury's mass and land area.
10. Due to frequent solar winds, the sodium that makes up the exosphere
gets blown away and creates a tail of sodium that is sometimes visible from
the Earth.

Summary:
Tiniest Planet: It is the closest planet to the Sun and the tiniest in our solar
system, smaller than several moons.
● Molten Core: Despite its small size, the planet is the densest due to a
huge iron core, which makes up most of its bulk. This odd elliptical
orbit could be explained by this core.
● Terrain Scarred: The largest crater, Caloris Basin, is uneroded due to
the absence of atmosphere. There are more craters on one side and
smoother plains on the other, which may be the result of volcanic
activity.
● Weak Magnetic Field: Despite having a core, Mercury's magnetic field
is weaker than Earth's. Research in this area is ongoing.
● Extreme Temperatures: Because there is no atmosphere, it can get
very hot during the day (about 430°C) and very cold at night (around
-180°C). Mercury has very little atmosphere, with the exception of a
thin layer of gases named the exosphere, which consists of helium
 and hydrogen. Due to the weak magnetic field, the solar wind
continuously bombards this.

Conclusion:
In conclusion a fiery mystery awaits. Mercury, although the nearest planet
to us, is still a mystery wrapped in a fiery hug. Its cratered surface screams
of a violent past, yet its small size and huge iron core set it apart. The
information brought up by MESSENGER and the upcoming BepiColombo
is educating us more about mercury. These projects seek to provide
information on Mercury's geology, magnetic field, and weak exosphere.
Exploring Mercury is about more than just one planet; it's about learning
more about the origin of our solar system and what other rocky planets, like
Earth, might be hiding.