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Mercury is the first planet from the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. In English, it is named after the ancient Roman god Mercurius , god of commerce and communication, and the messenger of the gods. Mercury is classified as a terrestrial planet, with roughly the same surface gravity as Mars.
Mercury is the only metal for which the alchemical planetary name survives, as it was decided it was preferable to "quicksilver" as a chemical name. History. Mercury was found in Egyptian tombs that date from 1500 BC; cinnabar, the most common natural source of mercury, has been in use since the Neolithic Age.
Learn about Mercury, the smallest and fastest planet in our solar system, with NASA's overview, stories, images and more. Find out how Mercury's surface, orbit, atmosphere and history inspire science fiction and exploration.
May 19, 2024 · Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system and the eighth in size and mass. Its closeness to the Sun and its smallness make it the most elusive of the planets visible to the unaided eye. Because its rising or setting is always within about two hours of the Sun’s, it is never observable when the sky is fully dark.
- Clark R. Chapman
- Mercury has a radius of about 2,440 km, and its surface area is 74,797,000 km2. Its mass is 3.30 × 1023 kg. Mercury is the smallest major planet in...
- Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, and it is also the planet closest to the Sun, making it the most difficult of the planets to se...
- 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)....
- Two locations on Mercury’s equator are called hot poles, and surface temperatures there can exceed 700 kelvins (K; 800 °F, 430 °C). Surface tempera...
- Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, and Titan, a moon of Saturn, are both larger than Mercury, the smallest major planet.
- 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.
Learn about Mercury, the smallest and fastest planet in our solar system, and its extreme temperatures, surface features, and magnetic field. Find out why Mercury is named after the Roman god of speed and why it has no moons or rings.
Jun 9, 2023 · Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and the smallest planet in the solar system. Here we explore the strange world in more detail.
