Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and lacks any natural satellites. An undiscovered moon orbiting the planet was hypothesized to exist in the early 1970s, but it turned out to be misinterpreted data from the star 31 Crateris.[1] Observation of a moon of Mercury from Earth would be difficult because Mercury is relatively close to the Sun.[2] For example, Mercury was not observed in the infrared spectrum until 1995.[2] NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015, did not detect any moon.[3][4] Mercury's small Hill sphere limits the potential for a natural satellite to exist.[5]
^Cite error: The named reference Solarviews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abMalcolm W. Browne - An Airborne Telescope Risks a Look At Mercury (1995) - The New York Times
^"MESSENGER Provides New Look at Mercury's Landscape, Metallic Core, and Polar Shadows" (Press release). Johns Hopkins University. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
^A lot of moons or no moons at all? NASA. 5 November 2015.
^"Q & A: Why doesn't Mercury have any moons?". Retrieved 2019-07-08.
and 21 Related for: Hypothetical moon of Mercury information
for moonsofMercury in 2011 and 2013, and confirmed that Mercury had none. Hypothetical astronomical object Claimed moonsof Earth Mercury'sMoon. "Hypothetical...
by anyone else. Chrysalis, a hypotheticalmoonof Saturn, named in 2022 by scientists of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology using data from the...
transit ofMercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet. During a transit, Mercury appears...
The exploration ofMercury has a minor role in the space interests of the world. It is the least explored inner planet. As of 2015, the Mariner 10 and...
The existence of a Mercurian atmosphere was contentious until 1974, although by that time a consensus had formed that Mercury, like the Moon, lacked any...
will be a transit of Earth and Moon, and two days later there will be a transit ofMercury. On January 16, 18551, transits ofMercury and Venus will occur...
always in darkness. As of 2019, there are 324 known permanently shadowed regions on the Moon. Such regions also exist on Mercury and Ceres. Such a crater...
planets and moons. The term incorporates aspects of geophysics, geochemistry, mineralogy, geodesy, and cartography. Historically, Mercury has been the...
List of geological features on Mercury is an itemization of mountains, valleys, craters and other landform features of the planet Mercury. Different types...
surface of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and may possibly exist on Venus. On Mercury, ghost craters are most commonly found in the northern hemisphere of the planet...
together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO). The mission will perform a comprehensive study ofMercury, including...
basin's antipode. This hypothetical impact is also believed to have triggered volcanic activity on Mercury, resulting in the formation of smooth plains. Surrounding...
adaptations), better known as Sailor Mercury (セーラーマーキュリー, Sērā Mākyurī) is a fictional character in the Sailor Moon manga series created by Naoko Takeuchi...
with Moon, Coeus and Metis with Mercury, and Oceanus and Tethys with Venus. These planetary correspondences are linked to the ancient Greek myth of Eurynome...
("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body...
Fictional depictions ofMercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System, have gone through three distinct phases. Before much was known about the planet...
the Moon and Mars, sequences of craters and basins of differing relative ages provide the best means of establishing stratigraphic order on Mercury. Overlap...
Mars and Mercury for the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for additional close observations. The program included a number of interplanetary...
black hole For extrasolar moons, all of which are currently hypothetical, see: Extrasolar moon For stars, planets or moons whose existence is not accepted...
on 3 November 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. It was the first spacecraft to perform flybys of multiple planets. Mariner 10 was launched...
range of mountains on Mercury. They are a system of linear hills and valleys that extend more than 1000 km to the northeast from the mountainous rim of Caloris...