Why doesn't Mercury have any rings?

Answer 1

Pluto, in fact, does have an atmosphere, but not like Earth's. When it is closest to the Sun, Pluto's nitrogen ice sublimes, forming a thin icy mix of methane and carbon monoxide. When Pluto is closer to the sun in its orbit, the warmth from the sun heats up the frozen ices of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide on Pluto's surface. These ices vaporize and form a temporary atmosphere. When Pluto moves farther from the sun, the atmosphere freezes and falls back onto Pluto's surface.

Answer 2

To form a ring system that is made of rocks and boulders and other debris, a large gravitational field is necessary to hold such small objects in orbit around the planet. Mercury is a small planet - too small to form such a system. If it did attract some passing debris, its proximity to the Sun would mean that the material would soon be stripped away. It is also probably for this reason that neither Mercury nor Venus has any moons. Only when the Sun's gravity has less influence do the planets have moons.

The other possible constituent of rings is ice, which makes up most of Saturn's rings. Volatiles such as water ice and frozen gases cannot exist in orbits close to the Sun.

Answer 3

Pluto is very small compared to the planets, thefore it has a weak gravitation pull. Pluto's gravitation pull is too small to collect enough debris to form rings. This is the same reason Pluto has no moons, and why Mercury has no moons or rings.

Answer 4

it does orbit the sun but not like the other planets. Instead of orbiting on the elliptical plane like the others, Pluto goes around farther away and rotates on closer to a perpendicular plane (compared to the rest).

Answer 5

They are too small. An object has to be big enough to have gravity strong enough to have an atmosphere. No asteroid is big enough with strong enough gravity to keep an atmosphere near it's surface.

Answer 6

Pluto has no known rings and it is doubtful that any will be discovered because of Charon. Charon is Pluto's moon or more properly they might be called the Pluto-Charon binary system. I imagine it would be difficult for any gravitationally stable rings to from around a binary system.

Answer 7

Mercury doesn't have rings because its gravity is not strong enough to hold onto particles in orbit around it. Additionally, any particles close to Mercury would be pulled in by its gravitational force or affected by the solar wind and radiation.

Answer 8

The gravity of an asteroid is not strong enough to hold onto an atmosphere.

Answer 9

because it is too small