Lab Exercises in Astronomy: The Rotation of Mercury

Mercury is an odd little planet — orbiting so close to the Sun, it has long been difficult to observe due to the Sun's glare. That's why it took astronomers until August 1965 to determine the correct rotation rate of the solar system's innermost planet. In this 3-page astronomy lab exercise, students will follow in those footsteps, measuring Doppler shifts in radar observations to determine the length of Mercury's day.