How is earth and mercury alike?

Answer 1

Other than comprising roughly the same rocky material left over from the Sun's birth the planets are not very alike.

Earth posses a protective atmosphere that can hold heat in which means life can thrive during the night time. Being so close to the Sun Mercury had its atmosphere stripped away by the solar wind long ago.

Then there are the thermal differences. The Earth, thanks to its atmosphere, enjoys a biologically acceptable temperature day and night. Mercury goes from 1 extreme to another. Daytime temperatures are 430 degrees Celsius and night time is a bone freezing -170 degrees Celsius.

Now possibly the biggest difference is the presence of water which Mercury would have the ingredients for in its early life but again being so close to the Sun meant it was boiled dry long ago.

But there are a couple of similarities. 1 is both Earth and Mercury have an elliptical orbit. Imagine them going round the Sun not in a circular path but an egg shaped orbit.

The other is that, unlike Mars, Earth and Mercury both have molten cores which is known as being a geologically active planet. This means iron, being 1 of the heaviest elements, can sink to the center of a cooling planet over time. At the very center some of the Iron is crushed by gravity into a solid despite being thousands of degrees past it's boiling point. Around this an outer core of iron and nickle flows which is not under quite so much pressure so is liquid.

This configuration of materials creates an electric current and generates an electromagnetic field. Now it may not be as strong as Earth's but seeing as ours is not very strong in itself I would still say it is a similarity.

Other than that I would say that Earth and Mercury, like 2 small twins, have grown up to be very different.

Answer 2

Other than comprising roughly the same rocky material left over from the Sun's birth the planets are not very alike.

Earth posses a protective atmosphere that can hold heat in which means life can thrive during the night time. Being so close to the Sun Mercury had its atmosphere stripped away by the solar wind long ago.

Then there are the thermal differences. The Earth, thanks to its atmosphere, enjoys a biologically acceptable temperature day and night. Mercury goes from 1 extreme to another. Daytime temperatures are 430 degrees Celsius and night time is a bone freezing -170 degrees Celsius.

Now possibly the biggest difference is the presence of water which Mercury would have the ingredients for in its early life but again being so close to the Sun meant it was boiled dry long ago.

But there are a couple of similarities. 1 is both Earth and Mercury have an elliptical orbit. Imagine them going round the Sun not in a circular path but an egg shaped orbit.

The other is that, unlike Mars, Earth and Mercury both have molten cores which is known as being a geologically active planet. This means iron, being 1 of the heaviest elements, can sink to the center of a cooling planet over time. At the very center some of the Iron is crushed by gravity into a solid despite being thousands of degrees past it's boiling point. Around this an outer core of iron and nickle flows which is not under quite so much pressure so is liquid.

This configuration of materials creates an electric current and generates an electromagnetic field. Now it may not be as strong as Earth's but seeing as ours is not very strong in itself I would still say it is a similarity.

Other than that I would say that Earth and Mercury, like 2 small twins, have grown up to be very different.