Question:
Why doesn't the hydrogen on Mercury ignite when Mercury is so close to the Sun?
Replies:
Check your information source: there is no hydrogen or oxygen (required
for "burning") on Mercury. Even my little pocket encyclopedia says that
Mercury has a very tenuous atmosphere, mostly helium and argon. Hydrogen
is found only in the atmospheres of the big gaseous planets, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and maybe on some of their moons.
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.