All articles tagged with #mercury
Mercury becomes readily visible for a short time after sunset, lining up with Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky. Mercury is about magnitude -1.1 and roughly 6° above the western horizon; Jupiter shines high in eastern Gemini at magnitude -1.9, with Venus (magnitude -3.9) between them. To spot Mercury, draw a line from Jupiter through Venus toward the horizon. Sunset is around 8:17 PM and sunrise about 5:37 AM (local time).
Look west after sunset on May 21 to spot a crescent Moon near the Beehive Cluster (Messier 44) in Cancer, with Jupiter nearby to the lower right and Venus and Mercury forming a diagonal line beyond; Mercury will be very close to the horizon, so a clear view is needed. Binoculars will reveal the Beehive cluster, and a small telescope can show lunar craters along the terminator as the Moon drifts away and sets in the early hours of May 22.
A study suggests Mercury might contain a 9–11 mile (15–18 km) thick diamond layer at the core–mantle boundary, formed as carbon-rich material crystallized during magma-ocean cooling and core solidification, with sulfur facilitating diamond stability; such a layer could affect heat flow and Mercury’s magnetic field, but the idea awaits confirmation from future missions.
Lab experiments using the 1891 Indarch meteorite recreate Mercury-like magmas and show sulfur can substitute for oxygen, lowering crystallization temperatures and challenging Earth-centric models of rocky-planet evolution.
Researchers at Rice University used the Indarch meteorite to create Mercury-analog rocks in a lab, exposing how sulfur shapes Mercury’s crust and magmatic history. By simulating Mercury-like temperatures and pressures, they found sulfur replaces oxygen’s usual bonding partners on Earth, binding with elements like magnesium and calcium instead of iron, which weakens silicate structures and may prolong magmatic activity. The work, published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, offers a new approach to understanding Mercury’s unique, sulfur-rich surface chemistry without direct samples from the planet.
April 12, 2026’s lookahead pairs Mercury’s transit with the Sun and Mars to energize some signs while prompting caution or debate for others: Aries blazes ahead with clarity, Taurus slows, Gemini argues, Cancer stays mindful at work, Leo charges forward, Virgo remains stubborn, Libra toughens up, Scorpio slows down, Sagittarius bursts with energy, Capricorn speaks up, Aquarius treads carefully with words, and Pisces reevaluates values.
Salmon skin is edible and packs a protein-rich, omega-3 fatty acid boost (DHA and EPA) that supports heart and brain health; you can enjoy it crispy or as a garnish, and it can enhance meals if you like the texture. However, there are caveats: wild salmon can contain small amounts of mercury, smoked or canned salmon adds sodium, and because salmon oil acts as a natural anticoagulant, people on blood thinners should consult a clinician. If you don’t like the skin, you can remove it or eat it separately; overall moderation fits into a heart-healthy pattern.
Trump rolled back Biden-era tightening of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, restoring coal plants to the 2012 rule and potentially exempting the industry from stricter limits. EPA estimates the rollback would save about $78 million annually (2028–2037), while the tighter 2024 standard would have cut mercury emissions about 23% by 2035. Environmental groups vow to appeal, warning that plants could ease pollution controls and monitoring to save money, with potential impacts on public health and grid reliability.
The Environmental Protection Agency weakened pollution limits on coal-fired power plants, allowing higher mercury and other heavy-metal emissions as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to revive the coal industry, despite scientific evidence of health risks and climate concerns. The move, showcased at a Kentucky plant visit, underscores ongoing regulatory shifts affecting public health and fossil fuel policy.
February 2026 offers one of the year’s best planetary lineups: Jupiter shines high in the eastern sky after sunset, Mercury appears for a three‑week window low in the west‑southwest starting Feb. 6, Venus becomes more visible toward month’s end, Mars remains hidden near the Sun, and Saturn sinks lower in the sky; the piece provides viewing tips and timing, including Mercury’s Feb. 18–19 Crescent Moon pairing and its greatest elongation around Feb. 19.
A new study surveying 402 slope lineae on Mercury, analyzed via machine learning from 100,000 images captured between 2011 and 2015, finds that bright streaks cluster on sun-facing crater slopes and often originate from hollows, suggesting ongoing surface activity driven by volatile materials from beneath the crust. If confirmed, Mercury would not be geologically dead, with future ESA/JAXA observations expected to test this active-surfaces hypothesis (Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 2026).
Mercury's unusual characteristics and orbit challenge current understanding of planet formation, with theories including giant impacts and migration. The upcoming BepiColombo mission aims to uncover its origins by studying its surface and internal structure, potentially solving one of the Solar System's biggest mysteries.
On November 12, viewers can observe Mercury and Mars close together in the southwestern evening sky just after sunset, with Mercury about 5 degrees above the horizon and near Mars, which is 1 degree to its upper right. The planets will be visible briefly before they set, as Mercury moves away from Mars in its orbit. This event occurs during Mercury's retrograde motion and Mars's prograde motion, with both planets approaching their respective solar conjunctions in late November and January 2026.
Mercury will be banned in dental amalgams globally by 2034 following an agreement at COP6 of the Minamata Convention, marking a significant step for public health and environmental protection, although some countries debated the feasibility of alternatives.
Mercury is banned on airplanes primarily because if a thermometer containing mercury breaks, the mercury can react with aluminum in the aircraft, causing corrosion and potential structural damage due to a self-propagating reaction known as amalgam corrosion.