Mercury Has a Tail

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OhNo Canada
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Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by OhNo »


Got a e-mail from spaceweather.com about Mercury.

THE SODIUM TAIL OF MERCURY: Mercury has sprouted a tail. Intense sunlight is blowing material away from the planet, turning Mercury into a kind of oversized comet. This week is a great time to observe the phenomenon as the tail is expected to reach maximum brightness around May 13th.

It fits very well with the model I believe best, in part, explains our why they may be Global warming going on on Earth.

What say you?
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by Ylem »


I got that email also, I would love to observe it :)
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


OhNo wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 6:05 pm Got a e-mail from spaceweather.com about Mercury.

THE SODIUM TAIL OF MERCURY: Mercury has sprouted a tail. Intense sunlight is blowing material away from the planet, turning Mercury into a kind of oversized comet. This week is a great time to observe the phenomenon as the tail is expected to reach maximum brightness around May 13th.

It fits very well with the model I believe best, in part, explains our why they may be Global warming going on on Earth.

What say you?
Solar activity has nothing to do with global warming on Earth. That idea has been falsified robustly. The time scales of the phenomena are mismatched and the energy requirements aren’t met. Global warming is solely attributable to fossil fuel consumption. The time scale and energetics fit superbly.

Mercury’s tail was predicted ~1980 and first observed ~2000 and is not newly “sprouting”. There’s no reason to believe it hasn’t been there for eons.
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by OhNo »


The "In part" part of what is being used as evidence in the global warming debate is the N. Atlantic/Artic ice melt. This change could be due to changes caused in the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This rise in the ridge from tectonic plate activity has caused a rise in sea temperatures causing guess what, the ice to melt!

Whether the Sun is causing issues on earth, what is happening on Mercury might have effects if enough of it is sluffed off causing a change in planetary orbits!
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


OhNo wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 7:32 pm The "In part" part of what is being used as evidence in the global warming debate is the N. Atlantic/Artic ice melt. This change could be due to changes caused in the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This rise in the ridge from tectonic plate activity has caused a rise in sea temperatures causing guess what, the ice to melt!

Whether the Sun is causing issues on earth, what is happening on Mercury might have effects if enough of it is sluffed off causing a change in planetary orbits!
No. You are repeating false claims that have been shown to not fit the data. The rapid melting of ice is due to CO2 and not any changes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The correlation between atmospheric CO2 levels and mean surface temperature on Earth is particularly well documented since the Industrial Revolution and also has archeological and geological support over millions of years. When CO2 rises, it warms the Earth warms and ice melts, whether it is from volcanism or industry.

The present warming is well explained by industrial emissions of CO2. Other explanations have been ruled out.

Orbital changes (e.g. Milankovitch cycles) are also too slow to explain this period of rapid warming.

The following link presents the data and demonstrates that industrial production of greenhouse gases is the only credible explanation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015 ... the-world/

It is of course your right to hold an indefensible opinion as long as you are willing to be confronted by the evidence that it is indefensible.
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by Graeme1858 »


Here's an image of Mercury and it's tail from SpaceWeather.com

Capture.JPG

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Graeme
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by Graeme1858 »


I took the picture on May 5th using a 66 mm (2.5 inch) refracting telescope and a Pentax K3-II camera," says Alessandrini, an amateur astronomer who works by day as an aerospace engineer. "This is a 7 minute exposure @ ISO 1000."

First predicted in the 1980s, Mercury's tail was discovered in 2001. Its source is Mercury's super-thin atmosphere. Mercury is so close to the sun, pressure from sunlight itself can push atoms out of the atmosphere and into space. The escaping gas forms a tail more than 24 million km long.

The key to detecting Mercury's tail is sodium. There are many elements in Mercury's tail; sodium is only one. But because sodium is so good at scattering yellow light, it is the best element for tracing the long plume of gas. "I use a special 589 nm filter tuned to the yellow glow of sodium," says Alessandrini. "Without that filter, Mercury's tail would be invisible."

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft spent years observing Mercury's tail often from close range.
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by turboscrew »


notFritzArgelander wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 8:09 pm
OhNo wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 7:32 pm The "In part" part of what is being used as evidence in the global warming debate is the N. Atlantic/Artic ice melt. This change could be due to changes caused in the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This rise in the ridge from tectonic plate activity has caused a rise in sea temperatures causing guess what, the ice to melt!

Whether the Sun is causing issues on earth, what is happening on Mercury might have effects if enough of it is sluffed off causing a change in planetary orbits!
No. You are repeating false claims that have been shown to not fit the data. The rapid melting of ice is due to CO2 and not any changes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The correlation between atmospheric CO2 levels and mean surface temperature on Earth is particularly well documented since the Industrial Revolution and also has archeological and geological support over millions of years. When CO2 rises, it warms the Earth warms and ice melts, whether it is from volcanism or industry.

The present warming is well explained by industrial emissions of CO2. Other explanations have been ruled out.

Orbital changes (e.g. Milankovitch cycles) are also too slow to explain this period of rapid warming.

The following link presents the data and demonstrates that industrial production of greenhouse gases is the only credible explanation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015 ... the-world/

It is of course your right to hold an indefensible opinion as long as you are willing to be confronted by the evidence that it is indefensible.
That same graph came to mind.
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Re: Mercury Has a Tail

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


turboscrew wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 4:05 am
notFritzArgelander wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 8:09 pm
OhNo wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 7:32 pm The "In part" part of what is being used as evidence in the global warming debate is the N. Atlantic/Artic ice melt. This change could be due to changes caused in the Mid-Atlantic ridge. This rise in the ridge from tectonic plate activity has caused a rise in sea temperatures causing guess what, the ice to melt!

Whether the Sun is causing issues on earth, what is happening on Mercury might have effects if enough of it is sluffed off causing a change in planetary orbits!
No. You are repeating false claims that have been shown to not fit the data. The rapid melting of ice is due to CO2 and not any changes in the Mid Atlantic Ridge. The correlation between atmospheric CO2 levels and mean surface temperature on Earth is particularly well documented since the Industrial Revolution and also has archeological and geological support over millions of years. When CO2 rises, it warms the Earth warms and ice melts, whether it is from volcanism or industry.

The present warming is well explained by industrial emissions of CO2. Other explanations have been ruled out.

Orbital changes (e.g. Milankovitch cycles) are also too slow to explain this period of rapid warming.

The following link presents the data and demonstrates that industrial production of greenhouse gases is the only credible explanation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015 ... the-world/

It is of course your right to hold an indefensible opinion as long as you are willing to be confronted by the evidence that it is indefensible.
That same graph came to mind.
It's a great depiction of how much various possibilities;e causes contribute to the global warming budget. I have it bookmarked as my go-to for such discussions.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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