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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.
An old [10] pound coin (density ~7.6 g/cm 3) floats on mercury due to the combination of the buoyant force and surface tension. Mercury is a heavy, silvery-white metal that is liquid at room temperature. Compared to other metals, it is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity.
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.
Jun 3, 2024 · 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 see with the unaided eye. Because its rising or setting is always within about two hours of the Sun’s, Mercury is never observable when the sky is fully dark.
Instead of an atmosphere, Mercury possesses a thin exosphere made up of atoms blasted off the surface by the solar wind and striking meteoroids. Mercury's exosphere is composed mostly of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium, and potassium. Mercury doesn’t have any moons. Explore Mercury!
Mercury Facts. The smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun, Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon. From the surface of Mercury, the Sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth, and the sunlight would be as much as seven times brighter.
Oct 19, 2018 · Mercury is also the smallest planet in the solar system, measuring just 3,032 miles wide at its equator. That makes it only slightly larger than Earth’s moon.
Oct 20, 2023 · Size: Mercury is about 3,032 miles (4,880 kilometers) across. That makes it the smallest planet in the solar system. In fact, Mercury is just a little larger than Earth’s Moon.
A Brief Overview of Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and the smallest planet in the solar system. It has a large iron core that accounts for about three-quarters of its mass. By contrast, Earth ’s iron core accounts for only one-third of its mass. Compare the sizes and order of the planets.
Jun 9, 2023 · Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system — it is only slightly larger than Earth's moon. Since it has no significant atmosphere to stop impacts, the planet is pockmarked with craters.
