Planet Mercury: characteristics, astrology and myth – My Sky Map

The planet Mercury is the second closest to the Sun and is known as the iron planet due to its base composition. Furthermore, it plays a very important role in astrology, directly influencing our communication.

Check out all the characteristics of the planet Mercury in astronomy, in addition to the entire astrological and mythological universe that surrounds it!

Planet Mercury and its main characteristics

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the closest to the Sun.

Due to this factor, it is quite difficult to obtain accurate information and investigate the planet in depth.

However, in 2018 ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japanese Space Exploration Agency) teamed up to send the BepiColombo mission towards the planet Mercury.

Two orbiters will fly to Venus during 2020 and 2021, and finally, between 2021 and 2025, they will reach Mercury, orbiting over it.

See below how it will work and the schedule to better understand:

What is the planet Mercury like?

According to its relative low distance from the Sun, around 58 million km, it is believed that solar winds influenced not only the type of planet it is, but also its composition.

It is a rocky planet 4878 km in diameter, with its molten iron core measuring between 3600 and 3800 km. In other words, it is EXTREMELY dense!

As a comparative effect, Earth, the third planet in distance from the Sun (located at 149.6 million km) is around 12,700 km in diameter, with its outer/liquid core and inner/solid core measuring between 2900 km and 6370 km. km.

Therefore, around a third of our planet would be made up of it, unlike the iron planet which is practically made up of its core.

Mercury has no atmosphere, which makes it very susceptible to meteors and has a surface very similar to the Moon: full of craters.

Furthermore, due to this factor, even though it is closer to the Sun, it loses its position as the hottest planet to its neighbor Venus, as it loses a lot of solar radiation.

It is a small planet that cooled very quickly (ironic, right?) and its surface is made up of potassium, sodium, nitrogen, oxygen, helium and carbon dioxide.

Although its rotation movement around itself is slow, with its day accounting for 176 Earth days.

However, its translation is quite fast, taking 88 Earth days to complete its rotation around the Sun.

For this reason, the confusion, since:

88 days on Earth = 1 year on Mercury 176 days on Earth = 1 day on Mercury

Finally, according to their movements, some places on the surface do not even receive illumination from the Sun. While in the illuminated part the temperature reaches 427°C, other regions reach -170°C.

Is it possible to see the planet Mercury from Earth?

Because it is a very small planet, very close to the Sun (and its luminosity) and on the plane with Earth, seeing Mercury is not such an easy mission.

Both at dawn and dusk, the planet is hidden by the brightness of the star, which makes it difficult to see.

However, from time to time it is possible to view Mercury, when it transits the outer part of its orbit.

In these cases, it is possible to see its yellowish-orange color with the naked eye, close to the horizon.

However, as its orbit is fast, so is its appearance: seen in just a few moments.

If you want to better observe the night sky, check out the best astronomy apps and also understand how to read celestial maps.

Influence of Mercury on signs

In astrology, each sign has a “ruling planet”, which gives it strength and specific characteristics.

Because it has a very fast translational movement, the Greeks named the star Mercury, which in Greek Mythology corresponds to Hermes, the messenger of the gods – known for his dialectic and agility.

Therefore, the planet Mercury is known to represent thought, intellect and communication.

Specifically, it rules the 3rd and 6th houses of the birth chart:

House 3: learning, intellect and communication; House 6: work, health;

Therefore, Mercury represents movement, exchange and adaptation. Furthermore, it is linked to the negotiation and information side.

So, the position of the planet Mercury in our birth chart talks about the way you express yourself, your behavior when faced with problems and logical reasoning.

As for the signs of the Zodiac, he is ruler of the signs of Gemini (which has communication as its main characteristic) and the sign of Virgo (more analytical and meticulous).

In fact, it has become very common to hear the expression “it’s because Mercury is retrograde!” when a period appears particularly chaotic.

Retrograde movement is when, apparently if observed from a terrestrial point of view, a planet is “walking backwards”, with its translational movement contrary to the orbit of another planet.

This happens because its movement becomes slower than that of the Earth, giving this impression.

Therefore, as the planet Mercury is most responsible for communication, in these moments astrology argues that it is necessary to be careful with what is said, especially how it is said.

It is not a complete certainty that you will feel the influences of this phenomenon suddenly, but some misunderstandings and even interference and malfunctions in electronic devices, satellites and telecommunications may occur.

Powerful, no? It is interesting to note how the alignment of the planets in the solar system influences our lives and to stay alert and observe the signs!

Mercury and Mythology

In Roman Mythology, Mercury was a god, son of Jupiter and Maia – equivalent in Greek Mythology to Zeus and one of the Pleiades (daughter of Atlas and Pleion). Thus, he is known to the Greeks as Hermes.

On his mother’s first departure, he sneaks into Thessaly, stealing some animals from his brother Apollo’s herd and sacrificing two of them to the gods. He returns and when he comes across a turtle, he kills it and, together with the animals’ intestines, forms the first lyre.

When Apollo discovers the feat, he hands him over to Zeus, who promptly makes him promise not to lie again (because when he is interrogated, he claims to have done nothing).

Astutely, Hermes promises, making the condition that he would not always need to say the message in full.

Due to his advanced intellect and great ability to communicate, he was designated by his father to be the messenger of the gods, carrying messages and traveling between Olympus and Earth.

He gains divine sandals, which make him extremely fast. Due to his ability to communicate, he participated in all the divine negotiations that took place.

Furthermore, due to its elusive abilities, it became a symbol of trickery and also the main aid to traders and thieves.

He also led the dead to Hell and brought them back when necessary, also becoming the patron saint of travelers and roads.

Extremely faithful to Zeus, the planet Mercury then represents this dual god: he moved between life and death, the eternal and the ephemeral, light and darkness.

As he provides great service to humanity, he is also somewhat responsible for chaos and not-so-noble acts. Still, it makes us think about the importance of complementarity.

After all, where there is a lack, there is also a desire and at the same time that it separates, it also unites.

Therefore, in Greek Mythology, Hermes or Mercury symbolizes the translation of the will of the gods, intellect and strategy.

And we are very grateful to this exchange and flexibility, as it is what makes us sociable and unique beings.

The alignment of the planets on the map

Now that you know a lot of things about the planet Mercury, how about having a special day represented with the exact positioning of the star at that moment, along with the others in the solar system?

We at create a map of the planets, which shows their arrangement on an important date for you or someone else (a creative and special gift!), with a wealth of detail and completely personalized.

This way, you can customize it with the phrase and model you want, as well as colors, sizes, frames…

Choose a love phrase if it is a romantic gift, a friendship phrase if given to someone nice or a self-love phrase if it represents the date of your birth, for example! Why not?

Create your map of the planets and have a piece of the universe close to you, to admire the grandeur of the Milky Way as many times as you want! ?