Search results
The resonance makes a single solar day (the length between two meridian transits of the Sun) on Mercury last exactly two Mercury years, or about 176 Earth days. Mercury's orbit is inclined by 7 degrees to the plane of Earth's orbit (the ecliptic), the largest of all eight known solar planets.
Mercury formed about 4.5 billion years ago when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust together to form this small planet nearest the Sun. Like its fellow terrestrial planets, Mercury has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.
- A year on Mercury is just 88 days long. One solar day (the time from noon to noon on the planet’s surface) on Mercury lasts the equivalent of 176 Earth days while the sidereal day (the time for 1 rotation in relation to a fixed point) lasts59 Earth days.
- Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System. One of five planets visible with the naked eye a, Mercury is just 4,879 Kilometres across its equator, compared with 12,742 Kilometres for the Earth.
- Mercury is the second densest planet. Even though the planet is small, Mercury is very dense. Each cubic centimetre has a density of 5.4 grams, with only the Earth having a higher density.
- Mercury has wrinkles. As the iron core of the planet cooled and contracted, the surface of the planet became wrinkled. Scientist have named these wrinkles, Lobate Scarps.
But Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days. Mercury is appropriately named for the swiftest of the ancient Roman gods. Eyes on the Solar System lets you explore the planets, their moons, asteroids, comets and the spacecraft exploring them from 1950 to 2050.
- Structure and Surface
- Time on Mercury
- Mercury’s Neighbors
- Quick History
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system.Mercury is a terrestrial planet. It is small and rocky.Mercury has a thin exosphere.Mercury’s surface can be as hot as 800 degrees F during the daytime and as cold as -300 degrees F during the nighttime. (But Mercury is not the hottest planet in the solar system. The hottest plane...A day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days.A year on Mercury lasts 88 Earth days.Mercury does not have any moons.Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.Venus is Mercury’s neighboring planet.Mercury has been known since ancient times because it can be seen without advanced telescopes.Because it is so close to the Sun, Mercury is hard to study from Earth. No people have ever gone to Mercury, but two robotic spacecraft have visited. The spacecraft were called Mariner 10 and MESSE...MESSENGER mapped Mercury by taking pictures of the planet's surface, including some areas that had not been seen before. It also collected information about what the surface and insides of Mercury...Jun 3, 2024 · Mercury's average orbital distance from the Sun is 58 million km (36 million miles) and it has the shortest year (a revolution period of 88 days). In comparison, the mean distance of Earth from the Sun is about 150 million km (93 million miles).
Jan 11, 2024 · Mercury Observational Parameters Discoverer: Unknown Discovery Date: Prehistoric Distance from Earth Minimum (10 6 km) 77.3 Maximum (10 6 km) 221.9 Apparent diameter from Earth Maximum (seconds of arc) 13.0 Minimum (seconds of arc) 4.5 Maximum visual magnitude -2.43 Mean values at inferior conjunction with Earth Distance from Earth (10 6 km) 91.69 Apparent diameter (seconds of arc) 11.0
