Sent in by Rockwatcher, Amina Nelson Riggott
Mercury is very close to the sun and its surface has plains and mountainous areas like the moon, as well as a lot of impact craters.
It was hit by lots of meteors in the ‘late heavy bombardment’ period and as well as craters. This caused lots of volcanic activity.
It has a massive crater called the Caloris Basin which is nearly 1600 km wide and nearby is some unusual hilly land called ‘The Weird Terrain’, plus there are nine different shield volcanoes inside the crater!
Photos of Planet Mercury and Mercury Meringue sent in by Amina Nelson Riggott
A nutty meringue shows the cracks and patches of mountains on Mercury. You could add craters before you bake it.
Always make sure you have a responsible adult with you when making these recipe.
IngredientsMethod
2 egg whites
½ tsp lemon juice
2oz caster sugar
2oz icing sugar
2oz hazelnuts
- Toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan and then rub in a tea towel to get the skin off.
- Chop the nuts in a food processor or chopper – they need to be very fine but with a bit of texture.
- Whisk the egg whites and lemon juice together until they are in soft peaks.
- Add the caster sugar and carry on whisking until it’s stiff and glossy (an electric whisk is easier).
- Carefully fold in the icing sugar and most of the hazelnuts (save a couple of teaspoons to sprinkle on top).
- Spread out into a planet shape on a lined baking tray and sprinkle with the rest of the ground hazelnut
- Bake for 2 hours on gas mark 1
