"Most ancient cultures were familiar with the twilight wanderers and guardian of the Sun. Because Mercury is closest planet to the Sun, its hurried orbit takes just 88 Earth days, and switches its appearance from east (morning twilight) to west (evening twilight) in the sky with a slightly variable period of about three months. Mercury also has an orbital plane that is tilted with respect to that of the Earth, so it also bobs up and down in the sky relative to the plane of the Earth and the Sun. Thus, it is sometimes lower than the Sun in declination and at other times it is higher. These two striking orbital peculiarities further contribute to Mercury's elusiveness....By far Mercury has been, most familiar to people living in equatorial and tropical latitudes, especially those with dry climates an clear skies."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
In: p. 1
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Mercury (planet)
56 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Mercury (planet) →
Related Quotes
"The universe is globe-shaped, either because that is the most perfect shape of all, needing no joint, an integral who…"
"We find then in this arrangement an admirable harmony of the world, and a dependable, harmonious interconnexion of th…"
"The Solar System consists of eight "planets" Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. A new …"
"The word planet comes from the Greek for “wanderer,” because the planets' positions change relative to those of the s…"
"My Seal-Ring Mercury has cast aside The signs of intellectual pride, Freely offers thee the soul: Art thou noble to r…"
"But what exceeds all wonders, I have discovered four new planets and observed their proper and particular motions, di…"
"I therefore concluded, and decided unhesitatingly, that there are three stars in the heavens moving about Jupiter, as…"
"I had rather be Mercury, the smallest among seven [planets], revolving round the sun, than the first among five [moon…"
"The Pythagorean harmony of the spheres lives on to this day. In his Natural History (circa AD77), the Roman scientist…"
"I wol yow telle, as was me taught also, The foure spirites and the bodies sevene, By ordre, as ofte I herde my lord h…"