What do you mean by Mercury?

1 : a heavy silvery white poisonous metallic chemical element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures. 2 : the column of mercury in a thermometer or barometer. 3 capitalized : the planet that is nearest the sun and has a diameter of about 3000 miles (4700 kilometers)
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on merriam-webster.com


What is the example of mercury?

An example of mercury is the silver-white metal inside of a thermometer that is liquid at room temperature.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on yourdictionary.com


What does mercury mean in history?

Mercury was named after the Roman messenger god, because of its fast movements around the Sun. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun at a distance of 57.91 million kilometers / 35.98 miles or 0.4 AU away. It takes sunlight 3.2 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mercury.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nineplanets.org


What do we call mercury in English?

British Dictionary definitions for mercury (1 of 3)

mercury. / (ˈmɜːkjʊrɪ) / noun plural -ries. Also called: quicksilver, hydrargyrum a heavy silvery-white toxic liquid metallic element occurring principally in cinnabar: used in thermometers, barometers, mercury-vapour lamps, and dental amalgams.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on dictionary.com


What is another word for mercury?

Synonyms
  • metallic element.
  • Hg.
  • atomic number 80.
  • mercurous chloride.
  • calomel.
  • hydrargyrum.
  • cinnabar.
  • metal.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on synonym.com


All about Mercury, the Liquid Metal | Element Series



Where is Mercury found?

Globally, mercury is most commonly 'produced' in Spain, particularly from the Almaden mine which is known for its high quality mercury. It may also be obtained from Yugoslavia, the United States (mainly California), and Italy. Mercury is obtained from an ore called cinnabar or another called calomel.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on physlink.com


Who discovered Mercury?

It is not known exactly when the planet was first discovered - although it was first observed through telescopes in the seventeenth century by astronomers Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nhm.ac.uk


What Colour is mercury?

What does Mercury look like? Here you can see that Mercury is a light grey color.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spaceplace.nasa.gov


How is mercury made?

The metallic form is refined from mercuric sulphide ore by heating the ore to temperatures above 540º C. This vaporises the mercury in the ore, and the vapours are then captured and cooled to form the liquid metal mercury.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on greenfacts.org


Why mercury is a metal?

Mercury is classified as a "Transition Metal" as it is ductile, malleable, and is able to conduct heat and electricity.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psanalytical.com


Why is the planet called Mercury?

Mercury is named after the messenger for their gods. The Roman Mercury had wings on his helmet and shoes. He could travel very quickly from place to place.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nasa.gov


Why is Mercury a planet?

Mercurial origins. Like the other planets in the solar system, Mercury was born about 4.5 billion years ago, condensing from the swirling ring of dust and gas left over from the sun's formation. Mercury became what's known as a terrestrial planet, with a dense metallic core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nationalgeographic.com


What is Mercury known for?

Fastest Planet

The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it travels. Since Mercury is the fastest planet and has the shortest distance to travel around the Sun, it has the shortest year of all the planets in our solar system – 88 days.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on solarsystem.nasa.gov


Why is mercury a liquid?

In short, electrons of mercury (Hg) are too near the nucleus, and too fast or too unpredictable to move that they cannot be contained in a strong bond, i.e. solids. This concept of weak bonding makes a good explanation of mercury, being a liquid at room temperature.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on psiberg.com


What is mercury formula?

Molecular Formula. Hg. Synonyms. 7439-97-6. Hg.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


Is mercury present in air?

Mercury is an element and a metal that is found in air, water, and soil. It exists in three forms that have different properties, usage, and toxicity. The three forms are called elemental (or metallic) mercury, inorganic mercury compounds, and organic mercury compounds.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on cdc.gov


Is mercury man made?

Mercury is a naturally occurring element. Its distribution in the environment is the result of both natural and man-made processes. People don't usually come in contact with all forms of mercury.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on atsdr.cdc.gov


What are 5 facts about mercury?

Facts about Mercury
  • Mercury does not have any moons or rings.
  • Mercury is the smallest planet.
  • Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
  • Your weight on Mercury would be 38% of your weight on Earth.
  • A solar day on the surface of Mercury lasts 176 Earth days.
  • A year on Mercury takes 88 Earth days.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on space-facts.com


Which is the golden planet?

Saturn usually appears golden in images, as its thick clouds are predominantly yellow.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on nhm.ac.uk


What is the hottest planet?

Mean Temperatures on Each Planet

Planetary surface temperatures tend to get colder the farther a planet is from the Sun. Venus is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun, and its dense atmosphere make it our solar system's hottest planet.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on solarsystem.nasa.gov


Which planet is red?

Mars is often known as the Red Planet, but is it really red? This 60-second video answers one of the most frequently asked questions about our planetary neighbor.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on jpl.nasa.gov


Who named Mercury?

The Romans knew of seven bright objects in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, and the five brightest planets. They named them after their most important gods. Because Mercury was the fastest planet as it moved around the Sun, it was named after the Roman messenger god Mercury.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu


What is the temperature of Mercury?

It is understood that the sunny side may reach temperatures of 750 to 800 degrees F., while the nighttime temperature plummets to nearly -330 degrees F. The average temperature on Mercury is a balmy 354 degrees F.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on weather.gov


Is Mercury a dead planet?

Mercury is a dead planet and the most heavily cratered object in the solar system. It is a world of black starry skies, gray craters, no moon and not enough gravity to hold an atmosphere. Without an atmosphere, Mercury is a silent world without any sound.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on grove.ccsd59.org
Next question
Does Mirko lose a leg?