Does Mercury Have Rings?
Mercury does not have rings. Scientists surmise that the most likely reason for this is due to the strong gravitational pull of the sun on the planet. Because the forces of gravity are so strong, rings are not likely to occur.
Mercury the Planet
Just slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Mercury is the solar system’s smallest planet. It is also the planet closest to the sun.
The sun’s gravitational pull is powerful on Mercury simply because the planet is located very close to the sun. In fact, Mercury is so close to the sun that it races around the star every 88 days. According to calculations, this means that the planet travels through space at an astounding 29 miles per second. It also rotates very slowly. It takes 59 Earth days for Mercury to make one complete rotation. ((NASA Solar Science Exploration – In-Depth | Mercury))
- Solar winds
- Less Mass/Less Gravitational Pull
What Are the Rings around Planets?
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell University
Rings around planets are usually made up of rocks, dust, ice, and other particles pulled into the planet’s gravitational pull as these objects travel past the planet. In some cases, it is theorized that the rings around other planets were formed when material was broken off of moons circling the planets. The gravitational force of the planet then captured this material. Since Mercury has no moons, this scenario cannot occur.
Besides Mercury, Venus is the only other planet in the solar system that does not have a moon or rings.
