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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 ( Mercury ), 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 a chemical element; it has symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver and was formerly named hydrargyrum (/ h aɪ ˈ d r ɑːr dʒ ər ə m / hy-DRAR-jər-əm) from the Greek words hydor (water) and argyros (silver).
Mercury—the smallest planet in our solar system and nearest to the Sun—is only slightly larger than Earth's Moon. Its surface is covered in tens of thousands of impact craters.
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.
Facts about Mercury. Mercury does not have any moons or rings. Mercury is the smallest planet. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. Your weight on Mercury would be 38% of your weight on Earth. A solar day on the surface of Mercury lasts 176 Earth days. A year on Mercury takes 88 Earth days.
May 6, 2024 · Isn't that wild? Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Structure and Surface. 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.
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.
