Ruth Patrick Science Education Center Observatory
Our Solar System Series - Mercury
The Mercury cache is part of the solar system cache series centered at University of South Carolina Aiken. In this solar system model, the 5-meter (16.4-feet) dome of the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center (RPSEC) Observatory represents the diameter of the Sun known as Sol. Be sure to compare the size of the planet image in the cache to the size of and distance to the observatory dome on top of the RPSEC. The sizes and distance are to scale.
Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. It has been known since antiquity and named by the Greeks as one of the five asteres planetai or "wandering stars." Today, we know that it is one of the five planets orbiting the Sun that are visible to people on Earth with unaided vision. These wanderers or planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Mercury Facts:
- One of the Terrestrial Planets that include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
- No atmosphere
- Distance from Sun: Average = 36 million mi. (58 million km.) Closest= 29 million mi (47 million km.) Furthest= 43 million mi. (70 million km.)
- Diameter = 3,032 mi. (4,879 km.)
- Length of year =88 Earth days
- Length of day = 1,408 Earth hours or 59 Earth days
- Temperature: Minimum = -279°F (-173°C). Maximum = +801°F (+427°C)
| Mercury Distances with Sun Diameter = 5 m. |
| Diam cm |
Diam in |
Orbit km |
Orbit mi |
Orbit m |
Orbit ft |
| 1.75 |
0.69 |
0.208 |
0.13 |
208 |
683 |
This cache was placed with permission by university officials. Be sure to obtain the code from the cache container in order to find the final Sun cache location. First to Find prize is a pair of tickets to the DuPont Planetarium. Visit http://rpsec.usca.edu/planetarium/ for schedule information.
The 2nd cache in this series, RPSEC Venus, was released on the day of the rare Transit of Venus that occurred on June 5, 2012. Learn more about the Transit of Venus. http://rpsec.usca.edu/Events/TransitOfVenus/
Congratulations to AikenRay who sought and was FTF this cache!
RPSEC Solar System Series:
- RPSEC Mercury - http://coord.info/GC3HQQH
- RPSEC Venus - http://coord.info/GC3JGQ4
- RPSEC Earth - http://coord.info/GC3V76Q
- RPSEC Mars - http://coord.info/GC41QMY
- RPSEC Dwarf Planet Ceres - http://coord.info/GC4342F
- RPSEC Jupiter - http://coord.info/GC49K1F
- RPSEC Saturn - http://coord.info/GC532M6
- RPSEC Uranus - http://coord.info/GC5FFXH
- RPSEC Neptune - http://coord.info/GC5QGBB
- RPSEC Dwarf Planet Pluto - http://coord.info/GC63TR7
- RPSEC Dwarf Planet Haumea - http://coord.info/GC6BXJ4
- RPSEC Dwarf Planet Makemake - http://coord.info/GC6F1RZ
- RPSEC Dwarf Planet Eris - http://coord.info/GC6HVTA
- RPSEC Sun - https://coord.info/GC6VW9W - get the cache codes from the first 13 Solar System Series caches to find the Sun.
Solar System in One Day Honor Roll. Find all of the above caches in one day and be included in the honor roll located on the RPSEC Sun page.
- RPSEC Ultima Thule - http://coord.info/GC81EPX
Permission to hide this geocache granted by USC Aiken.