- NASA references the Saltburn craze with lyric from ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’
- Photo shows the planet Mercury from four angles in pinks, purples and greens
It seems even astronomers at NASA are ‘Saltburn’ fans.
The space agency has posted a stunning shot of Mercury with a lyric from Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’.
The 2000 song has soared in popularity thanks to its use in the final scene of the controversial new film starring Barry Keoghan.
NASA said: ‘It’s Mercury on the dance floor, but you’d better not kill the groove!’
In the snap, the planet is seen from four angles and lit up in multiple colours like a reflecting disco ball, including pink, purple, turquoise, yellow and peach.
Replying to NASA’s post, the British singer said: ‘I am very proud to have my song referenced alongside such a gorgeous planet.
‘Mercury in Disco Retrograde!’
NASA replied to simply say: ‘When our worlds collide!’
Mercury – the closest planet in our solar system to the sun – is rocky and littered with craters.
When it is visible from Earth (about four times per year, shortly after sunset or before sunrise) it appears as a white-ish dot.
If humans could get close enough to the planet, it would appear as dark grey, due to the thick layer of dust on its surface.
But in this NASA image – taken by NASA’s Messenger space probe around a decade ago – Mercury appears multi-coloured.
That’s because it’s an approximation of the different wavelengths of light coming from the planet that the human eye cannot see.
Messenger used its MASCS instrument, which was designed to detect minerals on Mercury’s surface.
‘MASCS collects hundreds of different wavelengths of light, ranging from the ultraviolet through the near-infrared, to probe the mineralogy of Mercury,’ NASA says.
‘These spectra are visualized by mapping different wavelengths or combinations of wavelengths into red, green, and blue, so the human eye can distinguish them.
‘The multi-coloured “fireworks” result from a combination of physical and chemical differences on the surface, including mineralogical diversity and the exposure age of the craters.’
After launching in 2004 and entering Mercutry’s orbit in 2011, Messenger ended its mission in 2015 by flying into the planet’s surface.
Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, and is the closest to the sun at an average of 36 million miles (58 million km) away.
While Mercury may be the smallest planet, it is also the speediest, traveling in its orbit at almost 29 miles (47 km) per second, making a year on Mercury just 88 Earth days.
Mercury is so bumpy on the surface because numerous space rocks have impacted it at high speeds over billions of years.
Although it’s the closest planet to the sun, Mercury is not the solar system’s hottest planet.
The second planet, Venus, is hotter – with a blistering average surface temperature of 870°F (465°C) – largely due to its dense atmosphere.
Mercury’s, in comparison, is on average 333°F (167°C).
Venus, also rocky, is not only inhospitable but also sterile – with a surface hot enough to melt lead and toxic clouds of sulfuric acid.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
