Mercury

Mercury (HM23A9)

Location: Washington, DC 20565
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 53.323', W 77° 1.118'

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Inscription
Top section of the marker
Mercury

This tiny sphere is the planet Mercury at one 10-billionth actual size.

If Mercury were this big, how far away would the sun and other planets be? Look at the map on the lower panel to find your position in the solar system.


Bottom section of the marker
Voyage to Mercury
The Smallest planet and the closest to the Sun, Mercury is a world of extremes. Dawn brings 3 months of continuous sunshine, scorching the equator with temperatures soaring to 840°F (450°C)—as hot as glowing coals. Sunset brings 3 months of frigid darkness. Temperatures plummet to -290­­°F (-180°C), far colder than anywhere on Earth.

A Dead World
Mercury has no active volcanoes, no mountains pushing upward, no perceptible atmosphere, no life. Craters cover the surface. Most are scars from the dawn of the solar system, when asteroids and comets pounded the planet. Now, all is still and silent.

An Airless World
Mercury has no air to scatter sunlight and color its sky. Even in daylight if you face away from the blazing Sun, the sky appears black and dotted with stars. Sometimes visible among them are a blue speck and its tiny companion—Earth and its Moon.

Walk to Venus about 8
steps

Imagine
The Sun moves so slowly across Mercury's sky that if you leisurely walked forever westward you would never see it set.

Walk to Sun about 9 steps

In the real solar system, the planets never line up as they orbit the Sun.


Voyage is an exhibition of the National Center for Earth and Science Education and the Smithsonian Institution. It is designed for permanent installation in communities worldwide.
http://voyagesolarsystem.org
Details
HM NumberHM23A9
Tags
Year Placed2013
Placed BySmithsonian Institution
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, November 28th, 2017 at 7:04am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 324921 N 4306364
Decimal Degrees38.88871667, -77.01863333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 53.323', W 77° 1.118'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 53' 19.38" N, 77° 1' 7.08" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 610-644 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington DC 20565, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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Nearby Markersshow on map
Sun
0 miles
Venus
0 miles
Earth
0 miles
Voyage
0.01 miles
Mars
0.01 miles
Asteroids and Comets
0.02 miles
Jupiter
0.05 miles
Star Nurseries
0.05 miles
Cook Telescope
0.06 miles
Binary Stars
0.06 miles
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