mercury?

[damienpaul]

hello again, i have just being reading about Mercury...2 things i find most interesting, that asides looking like our moon it has:

1. a significant magnetic field
2. and an extremely high density
(relatively speaking)

i have read several theories, including that mercury was substantially earlier but has been battered....how is it that it seems to be almost 'earth-like' in its magnetic field and density?

[Littlemews]

Too bad Mercury dont have atmosphere and its density is stronger than Earth...and I hear NASA is going to send a Spacecraft to Mercury to learn more about it on 2004.

[damienpaul]

i have read of a tenuous atmosphere of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium and potassium

[DippyHippy]

The reason for it's magnetic field is that it has an iron core - which also explains why it's also one of the densest planets in the solar system. That said, it's magnetic field isn't that strong - only 1% the strength of the Earth's.

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/ni...ts/mercury.html (http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/mercury.html)

[damienpaul]

it is believed that there is water in some of the deep craters near the poles of mercury.

[Littlemews]

must be Carbonate :unsure: