NASA Scientists’ Stunning Discoveries on Planet Mercury | Ray Systems | MESSENGER Images Part 1

[@tommunyon2874]

In 1962 my best friend and I volunteered to assemble some solar system mobile kits for our 6th grade teacher. We were well aware at the time that the respective proportions and features of the planets were crude, at best. But the project really did fire up our imaginations as to what the planets really looked like in reality. It is so wonderful all these decades hence to see what has been discovered.

[@glenwaldrop8166]

It's funny, on the original Star Trek they made all the planets a blob of color, fuzzy like the images we had of the planets at the time. They orbited a low resolution version of a planet. The info we've gathered in just my lifetime is astounding. We didn't have a proper map of Earth in the 80s, we had some images, mostly maps. Today we have satellite maps of most of the planets in our solar system, maybe all at this point. Hell, when I was little they taught us Jupiter had 16 moons, Saturn had 26, we had to learn them all. Today Jupiter is known to have around 50 and some of them are just numbered.

[@dancingtrout6719]

hi,, we worked on projects in class Building models of the apollo Rockets

[@flyfishing1776]

🤔 in 1962 my Grandma turned 8 years old. She talks of " hide under desk in of nuked"

[@mstump7219]

Thanks for this comment, I always love reading messages like these

[@jeromebarry1741]

@@dancingtrout6719 My high school Drafting teacher had helped design the Saturn V.

[@chrismccabe1795]

i never thought of it much, but i have to say i was curious about why some impact craters looked the way they do. now i know thanks to this channel.

[@luisito6314]

That comment almost made me cry 😭

[@leomartin1603]

Electrical discharges created those craters.

[@hipioty]

@@luisito6314 why?

[@progiddalamdenport]

I love this channel. Space is cool to the max !!!

[@leomartin1603]

@Robocrop SLIGHTEST.🤔

[@SardonicDog]

Clearly one of the best channels on KZbin. Thank you.

[@JohnnyNiteTrain]

I love how, instead of just expecting people to like & subscribe by telling them to, he says “and I hope by the end of this episode to have earned your like and subscription.” What a class act. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Technology is amazing. I was in college 35 years ago...we didn't have the Internet, KZbin, cell phones, and the other billion gadgets we have now. Watching this 12 mins video in 1080p60 is just mind blowing. Thanks

[@jr2904]

I'm 32 and I am still amazed that we can watch this in HD on our phones only on the wireless network, my first phone was an old Nokia and back then I was amazed to be able to text people lol.

[@GraveUypo]

@@jr2904 i installed a game on my car's infotainment system and i was lost in the same kind of wonder. what i wouldn't give in my childhood to have the device that nowadays wastes its power and life showing me a map and a speedometer.

[@shanemcdaniel1509]

Yeah I can learn more in one night that took you a year to learn in college years ago moreless agreeing with you.

[@nagualdesign]

I'm 44 and I would find today's technology mind-blowing were it not for the fact that I remember all the intervening years of steady progress. I guess if I'd spent the last few decades on a desert island the modern world would come as quite a shock, but I didn't.

[@bropellerjohnson919]

Can’t wait to see the images that will come out on James Webb telescope. Truly a great time to be alive.

[@youtubeuser2007]

Scientifically, yes. Everything else, hell no!

[@mrj3217]

Nothing because if the government has any control they will censor the truth.

[@JimBobDewayne]

@@youtubeuser2007 Not even scientifically, with "scientists" offering their conclusions based on politics and also for money.

[@damonejohnson6098]

@@JimBobDewayne well said 👏 and true

[@Ganttura1]

@@JimBobDewayne 📯

[@susanbird5035]

I absolutely love your channel. I have been an amateur astrologist for my entire life and I questioned the splattered rays of Mercury’s surface. I do have to say that I had the same idea as the students because there has always been an assortment of ray sizes so it only made sense that the surface was not smooth when impact occurred. It is nice to know that I was somewhat on the same thought path. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos. I will always be an avid fan.

[@theq4602]

I really hope you mean armature astronomer. Astrologists are the ones who think you can tell peoples fortunes or personalities using the stars and planets

[@freddyjosereginomontalvo4667]

Awesome channel with awesome content and great quality as always 🌍💯💖

[@AlexXxtestify]

Ever since I read I, Robot I have been in love with the surface of Mercury. Really just alien planets in general. The way Asimov's explains the surface e of Mercury really shows how truly alien it would be.

[@edibleapeman2]

2312 is another science fiction book set on Mercury, if you’re interested. It’s a soft-sequel to Robinson’s Mars trilogy but those books aren’t required reading.

[@glenchapman3899]

An old but really good short story is Brightside crossing. Like you I find stories set on Mercury just that much more compelling than other planets

[@davidm5707]

@@edibleapeman2 Fascinating book.

[@davidm.4670]

Decades ago I read 'Battle on Mercury' don't remember author SF story.

[@obieldenook1142]

Loved the video. Mercury is a fascinating place. I can't wait to learn more about the universe and beyond.

[@elongatedmusk3132]

🤔 ...& Beyond? Interesting

[@obieldenook1142]

@@elongatedmusk3132 Never know, right?

[@talancae]

I wonder if humans will visit mercury in the future

[@khloests]

@@talancae that would be kinda crazy because the temperature on that planet is crazy. i honestly find it pretty cool though.

[@talancae]

@@khloests yeah, i bet we will visit it someday, if we dont auto distruct ourself first xD

[@kentd4762]

Loved hearing how Mercury has to "body block" objects from going past (towards the Sun), rather than capturing them in orbit--with its relatively miniscule gravity.

[@sethdrake7551]

i was just thinking, if thats the case doesnt that mean mercury has to be relatively close to the sun's roche limit?

[@cortster12]

@@sethdrake7551 It's actually more than 30 times the distance from its rouche limit, I believe. So no, not close at all.

[@karlsjunior466]

I never did believe that theory. Its too small to divert much of anything, much less get it to smack the surface at a 90 degree angle almost every time. Makes no sense. Think giant electrical discharges. They almost always happen at a 90 degree angle. The solar system is much different than we are being told.

[@harrywalker5836]

@@karlsjunior466 a teacher ,science, of ours, back in 60,s. said, are all impact craters from impacts. hell,,we dont know,, he had a rectangle fish ''bowl'',, 1/3 filled with sand, & a small air hose/hole, thru base, 1 short squert,,1 perfect crater.. plus, if you look at the moon,& see a crater directly facing earth,,did the meteor pass thru earth.?. thing is,,the moon is not,our satelite, it was put there. to calm earth.. fact..

[@karlsjunior466]

@@harrywalker5836 the moon and mercury are tidally locked meaning that one side always faces the earth, or sun for mercury. Experiments have shown that electricity has a very big role in this. When the moon was closer to earth massive electrical charges were exchanged between the two creating the massive craters and tendrils that we see on this side of the moon. On the other side there are thousands of smaller craters and more than 99 percent of them are direct impacts according to these scientists. There is no possible way that almost every meteor could strike a small body like the moon at a 90 degree angle like that. Most would be at a lower angle just because of odds. Electricity is the answer and the early solar system probably had much more flowing through it in the early times causing most of the craters. There are electric experiments that show how electricity makes craters. Even some of the features we see on mars and other celestial bodies. Of course these experiments are ignored and downplayed by mainstream science because it goes against everything they have been taught and are teaching currently. Nobody likes to be wrong but scientists have a duty to look into these things. Science advances one funeral at a time. Electrical scientists have many answers that the mainstream does not. And the mainstream don't want to lose their funding on projects that will never find an answer. But it keeps big money in their pockets.

[@Carpenters_Canvas]

one thing, out of many, that i love about this channel is that he covers exactly what the descriptions say. I would honestly say that a good 90% of the videos i click on, don't give the viewers what they say they are going to. They use clickbait techniques just to get the views. Other channels would have said something like this " scientists just discovered something on Mercury that have left them baffled" or something like that. I have never been disappointed with any of these episodes.

[@jeremiasrobinson]

Thanks, Alex!

[@InfectedChris]

I love the many mysteries of Mercury. So close, yet so hard to observe!

[@timmoore2496]

Astrum is 50 times better than Discovery Chanel.

[@GraveUypo]

well discovery channel kinda turned into business reality show channel a decade or so ago... so no contest.

[@phatpat63]

Scientist not being able to figure out impact rays perfectly illustrates the problem with technocrats without any real-world experience. btw, I'm sure the fact that impactors generally wouldn't be perfectly smooth spheres plays just as much of a role.

[@Quickened1]

In addition to that, when there's an impact, there's likely often a massive explosion near or above the surface, which would also create random ejecta... Not just a marble dropped in flour...lol

[@BornAgainCynic0086]

@@Quickened1 why, is there an atmosphere on Mercury?

[@rais1953]

@@BornAgainCynic0086 There isn't. There's a wispy exosphere created by the interaction of the sun with the chemical composition of the surface.

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

They try so hard to eliminate variables that could cause anomalous results that they over sterilize the experiment to the point of being useless. Even a layman can see that a homogenous surface and a homogenous impactor would create a homogenous ejecta pattern, duh.

[@RadeticDaniel]

@@MichaelClark-uw7ex over sterilization is a good analogy, I'm gonna used it for sure! While important to control environment variations, that was just overkill indeed. As you said it, a bunch of homogenous objects interacting already hints at something

[@dylanselden]

I've learned more from Alex than I have my astronomy class in college.

[@saltycreole2673]

You are so right!! I had one astronomy teacher in college who acted like a rock star. Too busy to actually teach and open minds. The other one thought he was too smart to be teaching at that level, but was the only way to get grants. I'm Just venting.

[@monteverdi1567]

@@saltycreole2673 unfortunately such professorial arrogance is not confined to Astronomy:(

[@devo1977s]

And the big reveal is you astronomy professor moonlights as Alex

[@jr2904]

@@saltycreole2673 I had a teacher who didn't even know the constellations. I made a presentation of the constellations using my own photos of the sky. He borrowed my notes from my highschool astronomy class and never returned them. He just went on and on about Rich dad poor dad and trying to make money from selling and breeding snakes. My highschool teacher now teaches at university of Arkansas, so if anyone is in that area, I highly recommend Dr Barth, he is and was a brilliant teacher! He was teaching highschool physics, chemistry, and astronomy all while going to school himself for his PhD. He even wrote some educational sci-fi books called Maurice goes to the moon and Mars. He was my favorite teacher, if you couldn't tell haha

[@lordnagatron]

Because college is about money and being woke.

[@tylerdyke318]

You guys deserve so many more subscribers! Love your content

[@raidermaxx2324]

i think its just one guy fyi

[@tylerdyke318]

@@raidermaxx2324 even more impressive then! 😁

[@raidermaxx2324]

@@tylerdyke318 no doubt

[@skybluespace22]

Mercury bodyblocking. I love it!

[@charliemaddock3459]

YOUR THE BEST SPACE CHANNEL ON KZbin MATE

[@southron_d1349]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@hammotimee]

This channel is bussin, learnt more here than my entire school career

[@nazgulkardar1235]

Very informative channel.

[@LordZordid]

"Which is one of the reasons why in all of human history, there have only ever been 2 missions to Mercury, with just one more on the way". That sounds unintentionally ominous.

[@gadkinson]

Mercury is the ultimate shipyard planet

[@UshTheGreat]

This channel is so underrated! So glad I've been watching for so long, can't wait for you to hit 1M!!!

[@kaltonian]

thank you atsrom for some fascinating incite into the make up of mercury's surface & well done to those students for solving the spiderweb mystery, excellent work to both of you & yes there are many more puzzles to solve regarding mercury's surface as yes it is forever changing probably because it is so close to the sun

[@Lopfff]

This was awesome. Thanks!

[@vincejohnm]

Great video. I’ve seen a bunch of speculation about the Pantheon Fossae and I would like to add my own. Given Mercury’s proximity to the sun and the large number of objects that have struck its surface, is there a possibility that a very large object had a near miss? Such a large object could exert tremendous tidal forces on Mercury’s surface, perhaps causing the unexplained buckling. It’s just a hypothesis but I imagine modern computer modeling could test it.

[@Unethical.FandubsGames]

I think that's a valid hypothesis. However! There remains the issue that the affected region is still really small. If tidal forces were responsible for a fracture - then perhaps we would expect to see further fracturing further away from that point. Perhaps even on the opposing side of the planet. Still. It's worthwhile to try and model it.

[@vincejohnm]

@Clambert Jamdrip What does water have to do with anything? Io experiences massive tidal forces from Jupiter and it has no water. If the object was sufficiently close, it would not have to be larger than Mercury.

[@vincejohnm]

@@Unethical.FandubsGames I agree. A symmetrical marking on the other side would be somewhat of a smoking gun. Pretty sure we’ve seen the whole surface so that might be out. Anyways, something to think about and thanks for commentary

[@meacadwell]

Stupid question here - Is Mercury close enough to the sun that a sun flare could have heated up the planet surface enough to cause the 'sand' to melt into a glass-like substance and that's what caused this fracturing?

[@timcross2510]

You nailed it. I can't say why I know, but your idea is very close to the causal events. Well done!

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

Still the best pop space science channel on the tube of you.

[@nolan4339]

I remember hearing how the sun's rays electrically charge some of the surface dust on the moon, which causes some of the dust to slightly suspend itself and move as a build up of static electricity occurs. I imagine that the movement of such dust could eventually cause some erosion, or even start to fill and level out some craters on such solar objects. So, the uneven filling or erosion of craters could be attributed to a difference in how the suns energy reaches the crater.

[@UnitSe7en]

No. It is not as you imagine.

[@blvck1635]

@@UnitSe7en how do you know? Did the moon tell you?

[@Unethical.FandubsGames]

@@blvck1635 We know that craters on the moon's surface are eroded in most part (to a very high degree) by the Solar Winds and Micro-meteorites. Essentially. The surface of the Moon is being constantly bombarded by charged particles and small rocks and ice. While there may be... some truth to particles on the surface of the moon being charged and perhaps even moving slightly (very slightly). That would account for a fraction, of a fraction, of a percent of the erosion that we observe. It's not that minerals on the moon aren't charged and remain static. Just that it's not enough to account for the kind of erosion that we see.

[@nicholascorbett1256]

Yeah @UnitSe7en how do you know this better than Pain. If pain knows anything, it knows about getting hit in the face with Facts lmfao

[@replexity]

@@UnitSe7en u love pretending that u have an answer

[@jcsaves09]

Honestly this was so calming

[@tobystewart4403]

At 2:26 , we can see a fascinating thing. Notice that four of the largest "impact craters" shown have a conspicuous smaller crater located exactly on their rims. This "rimshot" feature is exactly the same as that exhibited by electrical cratering left behind by arc welders, on the surface of steel. If you examine microscopic images of welding erosion, where arcs of extremely high voltage have been leaving behind marks on the steel, you can see precisely the same features. This is not a new observation, the rimshot crater phenomenon has been observed on the moon, and most everywhere else too. The frame at 2:36 , however, is neat because it shows numerous examples quite clearly. The argument for electrical discharge making these features rests on the peculiar pattern, and also the statistical improbability of so many impact craters having another smaller impact crater precisely on their rim, and always after the first impact. For example, ponder the probability that four of the largest craters in one frame of video have this feature, by pure chance of asteroids randomly striking the surface.

[@user-bz6gh5ng2m]

This is genuinely more interesting than the entire video.

[@suppenkaschper4686]

@@user-bz6gh5ng2m check thunderbolts project on yt if u interestd in this subject

[@robertakerman3570]

@@user-bz6gh5ng2m Dirty iceball hitting hot pavements. Scatter + water awaiting The Freeze of night. Inquiring minds... Seems like all that activity is DONE.

[@reshpeck]

@@robertakerman3570 Thank you for contributing

[@TheDalaiLamaCon]

Billy Yelverton's Plasma lab.

[@daryleldridge7769]

Excellent video Alex,Mercury is awsome looking place....

[@rexmundi3108]

Just starting to watch and the image ant 0:12 really struck me. It's like the surface was molten as it was being pummeled, cooled, and continued to get pummeled. (edit) At 8:53 the fracturing glass effect: Is it possible that a molten surface could vitrify on cooling and thereby be shattered by an impact?

[@rustic.sourav]

On the same page, I think it more replicates a stone falling on dense clay rather than brittle shattering. From my perspective it looks like the surface was not perfectly solid when hit and then cooled relatively quickly to form that pattern.

[@hittrewweuy7595]

I really appreciate how you put your add all the way at the end , that makes me listen and understand your video much better and even makes me watch your add at the end , thanks for that and for the awesome videos

[@joshuamcbride5019]

Mercury doesn't get enough of the limelight in my opinion. It's a very interesting planet with many secrets to uncover. I look forward to seeing the next one. Is the upcoming mission to Mercury going to involve a probe perhaps?

[@anomalychasing5383]

Play with brightness and contrast on this at 6:48 to see the real surface.

[@Toeken42]

I have been a subscriber for three years, for w/e reason, I had to re-subscribe. Ty for all of your awesome looks into our universe.

[@UnitSe7en]

That's been a feature of KZbin since before they added the bell.

[@jeff3741]

The gaps in the cracks of Pantheon Fossae look like the area broke when lifted not struck from above. If it were a sinkhole-like situation I think the cracks would be closed. Imagine tremendous heating from below to create a glass-like surface. After it cooled subsequent uplifting broke it.

[@TheyForcedMyHandLE]

It looks like it's in the center of a giant lava flow to me. That's my 1min of thought and inspection. 10:48

[@abelis644]

@@TheyForcedMyHandLE You're right, it definitely looks like that! Good eye!

[@danielm5535]

Are there any features at the antipode which might be a hint at a thing or stuff?

[@raidermaxx2324]

you already have my love and subscription my dude

[@liamfrank526]

Who designed the astrum logo, its so good

[@oxskirra]

Very intriguing topic, so glad for the information on Mercury. im looking forward to future updates when it becomes available

[@rickstorm4198]

Love this channel. Thank you. You really have Great production and great narration abilities. You touch my soul with the visible magic and tickle my fancy with the knowledge imparted. Again, Thank you. I have a neck injury from a patient that went "batshite crazy" on PCP. I choked him out (Powerlifter, jujitsu, state champ wrestler) But at 5ft8in 205lbs, i was tiny compared to his 6ft4in 295lbs of brickshite house built beef. Plus being on PCP excaserbated the situation against my favor. He caught me unawares from behind. Snuck out of his mental health room (padded room) and attacked 3 people. Laid out the two. Yes, charges were pressed. He wasn't a bad guy, turns out, video evidence shows an unknown guy put the pcp in his drink when he was unaware. He is looking at 15 to 25 years. It's a shite situation all around. Anyways your videos, SEAs, John Godier, and a few others have helped me get through the depression and severe pain.

[@matthewtheobald1231]

Great video thank you!

[@Deeplycloseted435]

I never imagined Mercury would be so interesting.

[@UnitSe7en]

Perhaps you've just never imagined.

[@NoTengoIdeaGuey]

Awesome vid as always

[@BinkyTheElf1]

In looking at the Apollodorus feature from different angles in your video, I noted two things: a much larger possibly very old crater feature, and a smaller crater rim, into which the Apollodorus object crashed. An underlying very large ancient impact area might have changed the resulting surface & material. Great vid, BTW.

[@cinidevil]

It can be in the antipode of a ridiculously large impact?

[@xxYFKxx]

Man your almost at 1mil. Keep up the hard work brother & congratulations in advance. I’ve been sub since 400k ✌🏽

[@marmalade6681]

1:12 Its refreshingly good to see someone with quality content just asking that if you think you have earned a like, please like. At the end of this one mate, you more than earned my like. have a good one! looking forward to the next one :)

[@trijizvy]

I'm glad watching your interesting videos❤❤❤

[@scunnerdarkly4929]

Here’s a thought. Could it be that most observed impact sites were caused by rocky masses wile the Pantheon Fossae impactor simply have a had a significantly different material makeup, such as being some random chunk of ice or other frozen gases, or even a small comet - something that may itself have a tendency to shatter as opposed to the ground itself being unusually brittle. There are also a number of valleys that look like they could have been created by a fluid erosion process as would be the result of pouring water onto compacted sand or flour, or accumulated space dust. If the impactor was indeed composed of ice or other frozen gas could it be possible those valleys were formed by its material remnants after the initial impact as they briefly flowed before evaporating away? Just a thought, like I said…

[@haroldshull6848]

The visualizations you've presented here are tremendous. Your explanations are well in line with current planetary theories. There is another explanation getting some attention for the last decade that I've followed it: the electric universe. It has reasonable explanations for some of the features that are difficult to asses in current geological formations. Reguardless, Thank you for posting these images, along with which satellites took them. Great stuff, carry on . . .

[@MakeStuffDoMore]

Maybe it was something like a comet that had much different electric charge than the planet. This could result in an enormous lightning bolt reaching out between the planet and impactor when it got close enough to the surface and could leave a similar scar. Lightning bolt leaves one scar, then the impactor collides leaving a crater.

[@UnitSe7en]

No. The electric universe theory is hogwash.

[@MakeStuffDoMore]

@@UnitSe7en I said nothing about an electric universe. It's just simple science.

[@UnitSe7en]

@@MakeStuffDoMore No, it's not.

[@MakeStuffDoMore]

@@UnitSe7en Right on brother. I'm not gonna argue about it. I was just giving my 2 cents on what I think it could be.

[@TheNasaDude]

The problem is that the Sun is constantly bombarding its surroundings with charged particles of all kinds. If such a charged comet or asteroid would come this close, its charge would neutralize, because it would repel similar charges in the solar wind and attract opposite ones

[@spencerthompson1049]

So awesome thanks for the free video! The Pantheon Fossae are supper interesting I thought the same thing volcanic activity!

[@tonywells6990]

Awesome video! Pantheon Fossae is most likely caused by doming (about 300 km across) in the centre of the Caloris Basin which then later collapsed and fractured, with the Appolodorus crater coincidentally occurring later.

[@Angl0sax0nknight]

As always top quality video

[@DeconvertedMan]

Mercury is my fav. She's super cute and smart. Also the planet is cool.

[@GraveUypo]

it's actually pretty hot, not cool at all. the planet, that is.

[@DeconvertedMan]

@@GraveUypo Well I stand correct, she is hot, and so is the planet.

[@nagualdesign]

I'm pretty sure that the messenger of the gods was male. Though it's the 2020s so I guess Mercury could be re-cast as female. How about a "female of colour"? And as well as being the god of commerce, eloquence, communication, divination, travelers and thieves, etc., she could also be the goddess of gender studies, equality and retroactive continuity. I'm only kidding. Planets don't have genders. 😜

[@DeconvertedMan]

@@nagualdesign I'm talking about Sailor Mercury. She's always been a girl.

[@nagualdesign]

@@DeconvertedMan Whatever floats your boat. 😉

[@Wonderwhoopin]

Dude it’s like when a kindergarten class of kids figured out that the land masses were once a giant landmass and that it fit like a puzzle while scientists totally overlooked that option

[@Wonderwhoopin]

Just like it was laughed at and thought impossible for a earthquake to move the entire earth and landmarks when Japan happened and then they were learnt

[@stefano2069]

Alas, why we humans don't focus on exploration and making our life better, instead of waging wars and killing each other with animal fury! It is the wild part of humans who declares war, and the good ones have to pay for their craziness. I celebrate any non-military application of technology and discovery, and I thank you Alex for your peaceful and wonderful videos!

[@RandyJames22]

Perhaps one of those students asked their dog what type of surface to try in their crater test. Student: Hey, Spot, what type of surface should we try next? Dog: _Ruf!_

[@glennbabic5954]

Comets must hit Mercury with at least twice the speed they hit the Earth, so four times the energy.

[@dstevens7614]

The way you explain the situations is very good. No drama just interesting point of view …

[@Allegheny500]

Curious to know why it's thought the ridges were caused by the core cooling and why they could not be the edges of tectonic plates instead. Active tectonics would explain the smoothing effects seen as well.

[@SmashPhysical]

Interesting as always, thank you!

[@Marconel100]

The fracture could be because when sand heats up it turns into glass, it could create a huge and very thick sheet of glass when it cools down, so if something hit it, it will fracture, and keep fracturing into smaller and smaller pieces as more asteroids hit. The bomb that fell on Heroshima left a thick sheet of glass on the surface of the ground as it melted and cooled off.

[@dennissweeney6774]

TRINITITE

[@jeffbenton6183]

I think the surface needs to be mostly sand for that to happen. It might turn a thin layer of regolith into a thin sheet of glass, I don't think it could turn solid rock into glass.

[@wacksnack157]

oh i love this, this is really good video about mercury, all of you videos are amazing

[@pargingplus]

Wow!!!!

[@screamingmimi90]

Great video!

[@deniswauchope3788]

That mysterious crater with its odd rays is indeed fascinating. I wonder what the temperatures are during the day compared to the night? Being so close to the Sun, the surface facing it would be incredibly hot, I should think. Could the surface be melted into glass? But then, if the glass was molten it wouldn't shatter. Hmm. I guess I'll have to ask _Tom Swift_ to visit there and find out!

[@rogerstone3068]

Mercury is tidally locked to the sun - with only a slight wobble - so they is no day-heating, night-freezing alternation.

[@scribblescrabble3185]

"Being so close to the Sun, the surface facing it would be incredibly hot, I should think." eh, not so much, the average Venus night is hotter than Mercury peak daytime temperatures. Why? Because green house effect. @Roger Stone "Mercury is tidally locked to the sun" No, its rotation is in a 3:2 resonace with the orbit

[@bigsarge2085]

Awe inspiring! Thanks, man.

[@ziancurlnieves8567]

Cool

[@imtisalzafar]

Your narration is superb Alex. Absolutely brilliant!

[@fLaMePr0oF]

Maybe Pantheon Fossae is an 'exit wound' from collision with a primordial black hole... I wonder what is directly opposite it 🤔

[@OleOlson]

One of the many reasons I love this channel is that you only allow a very short mention of an advertiser at the start of the video. So many channels Shanghai you with 1-3 minute brainwashing ads, which ruins the whole experience. Thank you Alex for doing it right.

[@raidermaxx2324]

i agree, channels that do that make it sound so grifty and greedy to be honest

[@drewdegen9043]

As usual, marvelous presentation. Given that Mercury's regolith (and perhaps lighter-colored interior) is composed of such varied chemistry, and given that Pantheon Fossae faces the sun, could the fracturing be the result of solar incidence and interaction on peculiar rock. Rather than volcanic upwellings, could Mercury's surface "burn" differentially top-down from a solar flare?

[@rais1953]

Mercury rotates slowly so all parts of the planet face the sun during its long days, except at the poles.

[@benbertsch8496]

I think we should look for a large crater on the direct opposite side of the planet

[@raidermaxx2324]

you sound like a possible scientist. Do you have a theory of how mercury was formed?

[@drewdegen9043]

@@raidermaxx2324 I am not a working scientist, but I am scientifically literate. From what I understand, all the rocky inner planets up to Jupiter formed from the collapse of a planetary nebulae of dust grains and small rocks. Views of numerous exoplanets reveal planets forming around stars, clearing out lanes of debris as they accumulate matter and the many moons of Jupiter and Saturn similarly cleared out debris orbits to form. Thanks for the "Like."

[@drewdegen9043]

@@benbertsch8496 Good idea! Several solar system bodies show opposite side anomalies due to massive impacts.

[@yahccs1]

Love the speeded up clip of grapes turning into raisins! Also I wonder how many of the features of Mercury happened when it still had a molten surface before it solidified, or if the impacts generate enough heat to temporarily melt the surface which then heats and cools over a few 'days' before it sets solid again. Looking forward to whatever science shows from the next mission. Another exciting space news event to look forward to...! You're right the objects flying round the sun near Mercury have a lot more momentum than they do near the moon, but how much of a difference does it make if they are all orbiting the sun at almost the same rate as Mercury itself? Oh of course - they would be in other directions in eccentric and/or inclined orbits.

[@TheThesamu]

I love this spinning ball earth with curved water theory! Looking forward to witness curved water for the first time, never seen it happen sadly 😴

[@CharlesLechmere_the_Ripper]

As usual I learned something again. By far the best astrology channel out there. Also your sentence "I Hope I EARNED your like and subscription", a thousand times better then "please like and subscribe". Please keep up te great work. Gotta watch em all.

[@johnmcglynn4102]

Was Mercury always tidally locked to face the sun with one side? If so it seems odd that the craters are equally distributed over the surface. It would seem to me that there would be fewer objects that would hit the sunlit side because they would have to come around the rim of the sun at an angle to hit Mercury at all.

[@stardogMLB]

Mercury's not tidally locked.

[@cecilbrisley5185]

Scale. Get three people together. Give one a laser pointer. Give the other a dinner plate. Now hold a pinhead 40 feet away from the dinner plate. Now see how little the dinner plate prevents the targeting of any part of that pin head. Also understand that impacts can occur at any angle, not just 90 degrees. Yes circular craters are created by shallow angle impacts due to the exploding of the impactor on contact - of course the scale demonstration will show that steep angle impacts are not eliminated at all on the side of mercury facing the sun anyways. Mercury tidal locking is a bit different, resulting in a pattern of movement rather than a rigid lock of one perfect hemisphere always facing the sun. People do debate whether to call it tidally locked or not. For me, it is being forced into a specific pattern by tidal forces enough for me to think of it as a subset of tidal locking. Elliptical tidal locking is my favorite description for what is happening.

[@rais1953]

@@cecilbrisley5185 The information given above may be from the time when Mercury was believed to be tidally locked. In fact it is now known that it isn't tidally locked at all. Every part of Mercury experiences day and night over a period of 176 Earth days. Only some deep polar craters never see the Sun.

[@Thisisaweirdthing2makeusdo]

It’s not it’s rotates really really slowly.

[@Lopfff]

Wow, I had the same question. Came to the comments only to discover Mercury is not tidally locked. The internet is so smart! Incidentally, when did they figure out that Mercury actually rotates?

[@melissasalasblair5273]

Thanks so much, appreciate it 🔭❤‍🔥🌟🌌 3:24 3:48 5:57 🗾 6:10

[@Mobius3c273]

What if Mercury is a core of a gas planet who atmosphere has been evaporated. Surface temperatures under the thick atmosphere turned the old hot surface to glass at a temp over 1700 degrees C. As atmosphere was blown away in the fashion of a mega comet the surface cooled and crumpelled. The remaining heavy mainly iron core is all that remains. Other evidence of something happening in the early inner solar system is why all five (including Moon) are mainly rocky bodies with usually less substantive atmospheres rather than gas giants which are more typical in other star systems.

[@TheNasaDude]

I find the idea of a Mercury gas giant intriguing, but it has to have happened quickly to account for all the craters. Also gas Giants have powerful magnetic fields that would slow down erosion from the sun. Maybe it was a bit like Venus, an Earth like planet with an even thicker atmosphere? Huge greenhouse effect and proximity to the Sun would account for the not so gassy situation

[@atomdent]

Thanks Alex ,excellent as always!

[@ziancurlnieves8567]

Hi

[@susanbird5035]

I have checked out the Raycon Earbuds and they will be my next purchase. The addition of the stabilizers kicks battery life up to 54 hours, that’s unbelievable. Thank you for the Earbud referral.

[@troyom]

I wonder what the opposite side of mercury looks like to the pantheon fossae. I wonder if something hit the other side so hard it the force radiated through the planet and cracked the crust on the other side.

[@care2think611]

Troy - Yes I too was wondering if 180 degrees from that odd formation was a huge impact crater whose waves of force focused and probably raised the surface a little. Antipode is the name of the effect I believe. Probably raised even more by the gravity of the Sun if antipode was facing that way. Just a guess.

[@UnitSe7en]

The antipode does not posses any significant feature. If this were the case it would be obvious and not a mystery.

[@troyom]

@@UnitSe7en perhaps then it has something to do with latent seismic activity while the planet cooled?

[@ValenceFlux]

So many endless wonders to see

[@Ethan7s]

ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY = about 70 years in space. Come on man!

[@nagualdesign]

I just posted much the same complaint, only with more belligerence and exasperation. 😊 I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[@arthurwagar6224]

Thanks for good stuff.

[@thechargedendtntz1]

FIRST

[@steveamurray59]

Excellent piece, not much is spoken about Mercury. Is this planet moving away from the sun with the rest of the planets ? You know expansion.

[@bigsarge2085]

👍

[@graemebrumfitt6668]

Thanks for the info, that was a great vid Dude! TFS, GB :)

[@supremereader7614]

I wasn't even all that interested in Mercury, but the thing about the students getting the 'spider legs' of astroid impacts correct was fascinating. YOu've earned my like; you already had my subscription 😉

[@gilbertlozano902]

Great Video!!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎈✨🌟💫

[@proteslapower6754]

I was working in Richmond Hill this week. On my way out I decided I take a drive to Tesla Canada to see if I could meet someone for a tour of the Canadian facilities. I come up with innovative business ideas on a daily basis so I feel like I can help with the transition to sustainable transportation and energy. We all know there is corruption in finance markets and politically with the use of oil and gas. I would like to continue to contribute what I can do to help this world be a better place and allow humanity to spread its wings. The time is now to stop corruption and all of our actions should be built with love consciousness in mind. All matter is built from love consciousness energy and all that matters is love consciousness energy! Let's shoot for the Moon and Mars, then we will end up amongst the Stars!

[@eriktempelman2097]

Great video! Mercury has a really weird day. See the sun rise, then reverse its apparent motion (!!), then reverse once more to rise properly? On Mercury you can.

[@swedenfrommycam]

U are so awsome Thanks for your Good work 🇸🇪👍

[@THESocialJusticeWarrior]

9:42 It can get cold on Mercury? WHAT!?!?! HOW!?!?!? That blows my mind!

[@historiesmade]

How i wish you could read my books while I just sit and listen probably smiling and allowing the reading to sink with understanding

[@DeadlyblueEdward]

Non-Destiny player: Cool video. Destiny player: Home of the Infinite Forest, the Lighthouse. Taken by the Space Doritos.