Shrinking Mercury

Upinspace · Mar 13, 2008

Scientists are asking if Mercury could be shrinking.  Could Earth be on the verge of shrinking as well?  Some believe Earth is twice the size it used to be and all the continents were one whole land mass, completely covering a globe half the size it is today.  I've been thinking of the earth shrinking for months now and today just read about Mercury's possible shrinking.  Looking at maps of the Earth plus the oceans' floors I think most likely the Earth did expand and shrinking may be on its agenda next. I can wait for an answer.Also, for the sake of levity, I can't help but think of the planet Mercury's name and the "shiny metal" found on some of its craters.  Think Hg for that shiny silvery roll-about liguid we also call mercury.

origin · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Some believe Earth is twice the size it used to be and all the continents were one whole land mass, completely covering a globe half the size it is today. </DIV>Huh?  What do you mean "some think".  I have never heard of anything like that.  What physics would allow a rocky planet like earth to shrink to 1/2 it's present size.  I don't think there is any physical process that could do that, I think this is in the realm of woo woo science. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Scientists are asking if Mercury could be shrinking.  Could Earth be on the verge of shrinking as well?  Some believe Earth is twice the size it used to be and all the continents were one whole land mass, completely covering a globe half the size it is today.  I've been thinking of the earth shrinking for months now and today just read about Mercury's possible shrinking.  Looking at maps of the Earth plus the oceans' floors I think most likely the Earth did expand and shrinking may be on its agenda next. I can wait for an answer.Also, for the sake of levity, I can't help but think of the planet Mercury's name and the "shiny metal" found on some of its craters.  Think Hg for that shiny silvery roll-about liguid we also call mercury.  Posted by Upinspace</DIV>I've heard about scientists theorizing that Mercury could be shrinking because its core is cooling down and collapsing on itself.  But, I've never heard anything regarding what you claim for Earth.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I put on my robe and wizard hat... </div>

wick07 · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Huh?  What do you mean "some think".  I have never heard of anything like that.  What physics would allow a rocky planet like earth to shrink to 1/2 it's present size.  I don't think there is any physical process that could do that, I think this is in the realm of woo woo science. Posted by origin</DIV>Could he be referring to the "expanding universe" theory?  You know the one where gravity doesn't exist and the acceleration of the expanding Earth is what holds us to the ground? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> _______________________________ "If you are surrounded by those who constatly agree with you, then you're in an intellectual vacuum. If you feel like trying to make a difference, you have to BE different. How can you do that without interacting with those who are different from yourself?"- a_lost_packet_ </div>

bearack · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I've heard about scientists theorizing that Mercury could be shrinking because its core is cooling down and collapsing on itself.  But, I've never heard anything regarding what you claim for Earth.  Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV> I thought the strong solar winds were the primary cause for Mercury shrinking??? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /> </div>

origin · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Could he be referring to the "expanding universe" theory?  You know the one where gravity doesn't exist and the acceleration of the expanding Earth is what holds us to the ground? Posted by wick07</DIV>Is that a joke or do some people actually believe that?  I know there are some really off the wall beliefs, so it is really hard to know if someone is joking with out the little smiley face deals.....  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

a_lost_packet_ · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I thought the strong solar winds were the primary cause for Mercury shrinking??? Posted by bearack</DIV>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/shrinking_mercury_040816.html That theory is the last I've heard of it.But, Mercury's own magnetic fields may be stong enough to protect its surface from solar winds:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uom-mmf013008.php  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I put on my robe and wizard hat... </div>

bearack · Mar 13, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/shrinking_mercury_040816.htmlThat theory is the last I've heard of it.But, Mercury's own magnetic fields may be stong enough to protect its surface from solar winds:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uom-mmf013008.php Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV> Ah, okay.  That was the only theory I heard and Mercury's core cooling, causing shrinking was the first time I heard of it.Thanks! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /> </div>

richalex · Mar 14, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Could he be referring to the "expanding universe" theory?  You know the one where gravity doesn't exist and the acceleration of the expanding Earth is what holds us to the ground? Posted by wick07</DIV> I've read a fair amount of "Expanding Earth" literature, but I've never seen them claim that this expansion accounts for gravity.

derekmcd · Mar 14, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>"Is that a joke or do some people actually believe that?  I know there are some really off the wall beliefs, so it is really hard to know if someone is joking with out the little smiley face deals....."  Posted by origin</DIV> No joke at all.  We had a member a while back that firmly believed in this.  We went round and round debunking everything he threw at us, but wouldn't budge.  It was actually humorous.  He though gravity in its current incarnation was completely wrong (along with all other mainstream science).Not to mention those that believe an expanding Earth is responsible for tectonic plate movement.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

Saiph · Mar 14, 2008

Yeah, people believe in the expanding universe = gravity idea.  It has some merits on the surface.  It has serious problems when you dig at all however (like it can't explain or allow for orbiting objects). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

qso1 · Mar 14, 2008

Could he be referring to the "expanding universe" theory?  You know the one where gravity doesn't exist and the acceleration of the expanding Earth is what holds us to the ground? Posted by wick07Except this theory goes in reverse.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

wick07 · Mar 14, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Could he be referring to the "expanding universe" theory?  You know the one where gravity doesn't exist and the acceleration of the expanding Earth is what holds us to the ground? Posted by wick07Except this theory goes in reverse.  Posted by qso1</DIV> The OP stated that some people believe that the Earth is twice as big as it used to be.  I was just tossing him a bone. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> _______________________________ "If you are surrounded by those who constatly agree with you, then you're in an intellectual vacuum. If you feel like trying to make a difference, you have to BE different. How can you do that without interacting with those who are different from yourself?"- a_lost_packet_ </div>

lukman · Mar 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Mercury's own magnetic fields may be stong enough to protect its surface from solar winds Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV> I though it was atmosphere which do the most shielding to a planet from solar winds? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

MeteorWayne · Mar 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I though it was atmosphere which do the most shielding to a planet from solar winds? Posted by lukman</DIV>No, it's the magnetic field, since without it, the solar wind tends to strip the atmosphere away, AFAIK. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Mar 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I though it was atmosphere which do the most shielding to a planet from solar winds? Posted by lukman</DIV> Hi lukman,In the inner solar system, it is the magnetosphere that does most of the protecting. Look at Mars with its feeble atmosphere, being eroded by the Solar Wind.Mars almost certainly had a dense atmosphere, maybe even comparble to that of Earth in its youth, but the magnetosphere collapsed & the volcanoes became less active, so the protection of the magnetosphere, was lost as was the primary source of atmospheric replenishment. This is why I doubt terraforming Mars being a long term feasible option.Venus is somewhat more immune due to its strong gravity & the fact it is almost certainly volcanically active, so these actions sidestep the issue that Venus has no global magnetosphere, though atmospheric erosion is happenning with Venus (Venus has a huge tenuous tail that almost reaches Earth's orbit), the atmosphere is being replenished & maintained & is held with Venus's 93% of Earth's gravity.Mercury has & is probably still shrinking. The huge scarps are evidence of this.Santa Maria Rupes. Mariner 10.http://img296.imageshack.us/my.php?image=santamariarupes2marinergq9.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/2/1/c28fd79e-5724-4dfb-81d2-cf5346e4bf98.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Discovery Rupes, Mariner 10.http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=discoveryrupesmariner10lr6.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/12/15/bca03db1-3f18-4a96-8f26-92c82d842dc4.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Forums/#Beagle Rupes. MESSENGER.http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mercurybeaglerupesmessech0.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/6/e6c25bc2-8da4-41e4-86aa-8135aaa49cf8.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> Most likely due to the shrinking of the giant iron core due to cooling. The fact that Mercury has an active global magnestosphere, shows that Iron core is at partially molten & convecting & / or spinning.  Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

majornature · Mar 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Scientists are asking if Mercury could be shrinking.  Could Earth be on the verge of shrinking as well?  Some believe Earth is twice the size it used to be and all the continents were one whole land mass, completely covering a globe half the size it is today.  I've been thinking of the earth shrinking for months now and today just read about Mercury's possible shrinking.  Looking at maps of the Earth plus the oceans' floors I think most likely the Earth did expand and shrinking may be on its agenda next. I can wait for an answer.Also, for the sake of levity, I can't help but think of the planet Mercury's name and the "shiny metal" found on some of its craters.  Think Hg for that shiny silvery roll-about liguid we also call mercury.  Posted by Upinspace</DIV> Mercury shrinking?  How?  Can rocks evaporate?  I thought heat expands things... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> We are born. We live. We experiment. We rot. We die. and the whole process starts all over again! Imagine That! <img id="6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264" style="width:176px;height:247px" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/4/6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" width="276" height="440" /> </div>

3488 · Mar 16, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Mercury shrinking?  How?  Can rocks evaporate?  I thought heat expands things... Posted by majornature</DIV>  Hi majornature.The Iron core of Mercury will shrink very slightly, as it cools. This very slow shrinking is causing the basaltic crust above to crack & crumple, because of Mercury's fairly strong gravity, is stronger than the basalt.So yes there is some 'shrinkage' but it is not evaportion, it is due to the cooling iron core, & the fracturing / compression of the crust.Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

majornature · Mar 17, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Hi majornature.The Iron core of Mercury will shrink very slightly, as it cools. This very slow shrinking is causing the basaltic crust above to crack & crumple, because of Mercury's fairly strong gravity, is stronger than the basalt.So yes there is some 'shrinkage' but it is not evaportion, it is due to the cooling iron core, & the fracturing / compression of the crust.Andrew Brown. Posted by 3488</DIV>OH YEAH I REMEMBER NOW THAT PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS. SO IF MERCURY CONTINUES DOWN THIS PATH, WILL MERCURY BREAK IN TO FRAGMENT AND COLLIDE WITH THE SUN?  IF SO, THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO EARTH AS WELL?  IS THE EARTH COOLING OFF? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> We are born. We live. We experiment. We rot. We die. and the whole process starts all over again! Imagine That! <img id="6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264" style="width:176px;height:247px" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/4/6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" width="276" height="440" /> </div>

derekmcd · Mar 17, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>OH YEAH I REMEMBER NOW THAT PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS. SO IF MERCURY CONTINUES DOWN THIS PATH, WILL MERCURY BREAK IN TO FRAGMENT AND COLLIDE WITH THE SUN?  IF SO, THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO EARTH AS WELL?  IS THE EARTH COOLING OFF? Posted by majornature</DIV> Unlikely Mercury will break apart... it's actually collapsing on itself if this theory holds up.  Earth's core, AFAIK, is also cooling, but it is such a slow process, we likely have several billion years before it becomes a concern. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

schmack · Mar 17, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>OH YEAH I REMEMBER NOW THAT PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS. SO IF MERCURY CONTINUES DOWN THIS PATH, WILL MERCURY BREAK IN TO FRAGMENT AND COLLIDE WITH THE SUN?  IF SO, THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO EARTH AS WELL?  IS THE EARTH COOLING OFF? Posted by majornature</DIV>But rock CAN evaporate. given the right temperatures and pressure conditions it will turn to liquid and then a gas in the same way water does here on earth daily.am i correct?  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Assumption is the mother of all stuff ups Gimme some Schmack Schmack! </div>

derekmcd · Mar 17, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>But rock CAN evaporate. given the right temperatures and pressure conditions it will turn to liquid and then a gas in the same way water does here on earth daily.am i correct?  Posted by schmack</DIV> I suppose using a very loose interpretation of 'evaporate', you could use the Sun as an example.Another could be radioactive decay releasing helium which is a lighter element and rises. “That depends on what your definition of "is" is”  <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/3/3/b33a2720-cd54-4811-9302-549fd6dd208b.Medium.gif" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

MeteorWayne · Mar 18, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>OH YEAH I REMEMBER NOW THAT PRETTY MUCH EXPLAINS. SO IF MERCURY CONTINUES DOWN THIS PATH, WILL MERCURY BREAK IN TO FRAGMENT AND COLLIDE WITH THE SUN?  IF SO, THE SAME THING CAN HAPPEN TO EARTH AS WELL?  IS THE EARTH COOLING OFF? Posted by majornature</DIV>SPeaking of shrinking majornature---PLEASE SHRING THE IMAGE IN YOUR SIGLINE!!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

majornature · Mar 18, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>SPeaking of shrinking majornature---PLEASE SHRING THE IMAGE IN YOUR SIGLINE!!! Posted by meteorwayne</DIV>LOL wayne!!  You don't like my M.J. pic?...No? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> We are born. We live. We experiment. We rot. We die. and the whole process starts all over again! Imagine That! <img id="6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264" style="width:176px;height:247px" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/4/6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" width="276" height="440" /> </div>

majornature · Mar 18, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> I suppose using a very loose interpretation of 'evaporate', you could use the Sun as an example.Another could be radioactive decay releasing helium which is a lighter element and rises. “That depends on what your definition of "is" is”  Posted by derekmcd</DIV> How'd you get that smiley to work.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> We are born. We live. We experiment. We rot. We die. and the whole process starts all over again! Imagine That! <img id="6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264" style="width:176px;height:247px" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/14/4/6e5c6b4c-0657-47dd-9476-1fbb47938264.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" width="276" height="440" /> </div>

Shrinking Mercury

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