Community Science Astronomy The Solar System Mercury

Grabs

Hearts

Comments

Mercury

Mary Robinson

@maryrobinson

Information on the astronomical development, evolution and properties of Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun in the Milky Way.

Grabs

Hearts

Comments

Mary Robinson

@maryrobinson

Information on the astronomical development, evolution and properties of Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun in the Milky Way.

Encyclopedia - Mercury

Mercury is the innermost and second smallest planet (4,878 kilometers [3,024 miles] in diameter) in the solar system (Pluto is the smallest). It has no known moons.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Mercury_(Planet).aspx
Mercury Facts For Kids - Science Kids

Mercury is a small planet which orbits closer to the sun than any other planet in our solar system. As well as being very hot, it features a barren, crater covered surface which looks similar to Earth's moon.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/planets/mercury.html
Kids Astronomy - Mercury

In astronomy mythology, Mercury was the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes. He was the messenger for the other gods, and for this reason Mercury is often depicted in pictures with winged sandals. In addition to delivering messages, he was also the protector of travelers and merchants.
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mercury.htm
Mercury - Planets For Kids

We have lots of information about the planet Mercury below that will help you with homework/project work and help you understand more about the planet.
http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mercury.html
All About Mercury - Spaceplace NASA

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It's just a little bigger than Earth's moon. It is the closest planet to the sun, but it's actually not the hottest. Venus is hotter.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-mercury/en/
The Planet Mercury - Phys

Mercury is the closest planet to our sun, the smallest of the eight planets, and one of the most extreme worlds in our solar systems. Named after the Roman messenger of the gods, the planet is one of a handful that can be viewed without the aid of a telescope. As such, it has played an active role in the mythological and astrological systems of many cultures.
http://phys.org/news/2015-08-planet-mercury.html
The Planet Mercury - Universe Today

Mercury is the closest planet to our Sun, the smallest of the eight planets, and one of the most extreme worlds in our Solar Systems.
http://www.universetoday.com/13943/mercury/
Mercury Facts: Interesting Facts about the Planet Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is also the smallest of the eight planets in our solar system. For every 2 orbits of the Sun, which takes around 88 Earth days, Mercury completes three rotations of its axis. It is gravitationally locked and this rotation is unique to the solar system.
http://theplanets.org/mercury/
Planet Mercury Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic

Get information, facts, photos, news, videos, and more about planet Mercury from National Geographic.
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/mercury-article
Mercury: Educational facts and history of the planet Mercury - Nine Planets

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the eighth largest. Mercury is slightly smaller in diameter than the moons Ganymede and Titan but more than twice as massive. Facts about Mercury.
http://nineplanets.org/mercury.html
Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and is known for its short years, long days, extreme temperatures and weird sunsets.
http://www.space.com/36-mercury-the-suns-closest-planetary-neighbor.html
Mercury Facts - Interesting Facts about the Planet Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and due to its proximity it is not easily seen except during twilight. For every two orbits of the Sun, Mercury completes three rotations about its axis and up until 1965 it was thought that the same side of Mercury constantly faced the Sun. Thirteen times a century Mercury can be observed from the Earth passing across the face of the Sun in an event called a transit, the next will occur on the 9th May 2016.
http://space-facts.com/mercury
Solar System Exploration - NASA

Mercury's eccentric orbit takes the small planet as close as 47 million km (29 million miles) and as far as 70 million km (43 million miles) from the sun. If one could stand on the scorching surface of Mercury when it is at its closest point to the sun, the sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury
What Is the Planet Mercury? -NASA

Mercury is the smallest of the eight planets and is closest to the sun.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-planet-mercury-k4.html
Mercury (Planet) - Wikipedia

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the one closest to the Sun, with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days, which is much faster than any other planet in the Solar System.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)

Comments

Mercury

Mercury in true color (by MESSENGER in 2008)

Designations

Pronunciation

/ˈmɜːrkjʊri/

Adjectives

Mercurian /mərˈkjʊəriən/,^[1]
Mercurial /mərˈkjʊəriəl/^[2]

Symbol

Orbital characteristics^[3]

Epoch J2000

Aphelion

0.466697 AU (69.82 million km)

Perihelion

0.307499 AU (46.00 million km)

Semi-major axis

0.387098 AU (57.91 million km)

Eccentricity

0.205630^[4]

Orbital period (sidereal)

87.9691 d
0.240846 yr
0.5 Mercury synodic days

Orbital period (synodic)

115.88 d^[4]

Average orbital speed

47.36 km/s^[4]

Mean anomaly

174.796°

Inclination

7.005° to ecliptic
3.38° to Sun's equator
6.35° to invariable plane^[5]

Longitude of ascending node

48.331°

Argument of perihelion

29.124°

Satellites

None

Physical characteristics

Mean radius

2,439.7±1.0 km^[6]^[7]
0.3829 Earths

Flattening

0.0009^[4]

Surface area

7.48×10⁷ km²^[6]
0.147 Earths

Volume

6.083×10¹⁰ km³^[6]
0.056 Earths

Mass

3.3011×10²³ kg^[8]
0.055 Earths

Mean density

5.427 g/cm³^[6]

Surface gravity

3.7 m/s² (0.38 g₀)^[6]

Moment of inertia factor

0.346±0.014^[9]

Escape velocity

4.25 km/s^[6]

Synodic rotation period

176 d^[10]

Sidereal rotation period

58.646 d
1407.5 h^[6]

Equatorial rotation velocity

3.026 m/s

Axial tilt

2.04′ ± 0.08′ (to orbit)^[9]
(0.034°)^[4]

North pole right ascension

18^h 44^m 2^s
281.01° ^[4]^[11]

North pole declination

61.41° ^[11]

Albedo

0.088 (Bond)^[12]
0.142 (geom.)^[13]

Temperature

437 K (164 °C) (blackbody temperature)^[14]

Surface temp.	min	mean	max
0°N, 0°W ^[15]	−173 °C	67 °C	427 °C
85°N, 0°W^[15]	−193 °C	−73 °C	106.85 °C

Apparent magnitude

−2.48 to +7.25^[16]

Absolute magnitude (H)

−0.4^[17]

Angular diameter

4.5–13″^[4]

Atmosphere^[4]^[18]^[19]

Surface pressure

trace (≲ 0.5 nPa)

Composition by volume

atomic oxygen
sodium
magnesium
atomic hydrogen
potassium
calcium
helium
Trace amounts of iron, aluminium, argon, dinitrogen, dioxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, xenon, krypton, and neon

Source : Wikipedia under CC-BY-SA license

Links
Media

Encyclopedia - Mercury

Mercury is the innermost and second smallest planet (4,878 kilometers [3,024 miles] in diameter) in the solar system (Pluto is the smallest). It has no known moons.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Mercury_(Planet).aspx
Mercury Facts For Kids - Science Kids

Mercury is a small planet which orbits closer to the sun than any other planet in our solar system. As well as being very hot, it features a barren, crater covered surface which looks similar to Earth's moon.
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/planets/mercury.html
Kids Astronomy - Mercury

In astronomy mythology, Mercury was the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes. He was the messenger for the other gods, and for this reason Mercury is often depicted in pictures with winged sandals. In addition to delivering messages, he was also the protector of travelers and merchants.
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mercury.htm
Mercury - Planets For Kids

We have lots of information about the planet Mercury below that will help you with homework/project work and help you understand more about the planet.
http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mercury.html
All About Mercury - Spaceplace NASA

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It's just a little bigger than Earth's moon. It is the closest planet to the sun, but it's actually not the hottest. Venus is hotter.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-mercury/en/
The Planet Mercury - Phys

Mercury is the closest planet to our sun, the smallest of the eight planets, and one of the most extreme worlds in our solar systems. Named after the Roman messenger of the gods, the planet is one of a handful that can be viewed without the aid of a telescope. As such, it has played an active role in the mythological and astrological systems of many cultures.
http://phys.org/news/2015-08-planet-mercury.html
The Planet Mercury - Universe Today

Mercury is the closest planet to our Sun, the smallest of the eight planets, and one of the most extreme worlds in our Solar Systems.
http://www.universetoday.com/13943/mercury/
Mercury Facts: Interesting Facts about the Planet Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is also the smallest of the eight planets in our solar system. For every 2 orbits of the Sun, which takes around 88 Earth days, Mercury completes three rotations of its axis. It is gravitationally locked and this rotation is unique to the solar system.
http://theplanets.org/mercury/
Planet Mercury Information, Facts, News, Photos - National Geographic

Get information, facts, photos, news, videos, and more about planet Mercury from National Geographic.
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/mercury-article
Mercury: Educational facts and history of the planet Mercury - Nine Planets

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the eighth largest. Mercury is slightly smaller in diameter than the moons Ganymede and Titan but more than twice as massive. Facts about Mercury.
http://nineplanets.org/mercury.html
Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and is known for its short years, long days, extreme temperatures and weird sunsets.
http://www.space.com/36-mercury-the-suns-closest-planetary-neighbor.html
Mercury Facts - Interesting Facts about the Planet Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and due to its proximity it is not easily seen except during twilight. For every two orbits of the Sun, Mercury completes three rotations about its axis and up until 1965 it was thought that the same side of Mercury constantly faced the Sun. Thirteen times a century Mercury can be observed from the Earth passing across the face of the Sun in an event called a transit, the next will occur on the 9th May 2016.
http://space-facts.com/mercury
Solar System Exploration - NASA

Mercury's eccentric orbit takes the small planet as close as 47 million km (29 million miles) and as far as 70 million km (43 million miles) from the sun. If one could stand on the scorching surface of Mercury when it is at its closest point to the sun, the sun would appear more than three times as large as it does when viewed from Earth.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury
What Is the Planet Mercury? -NASA

Mercury is the smallest of the eight planets and is closest to the sun.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-planet-mercury-k4.html
Mercury (Planet) - Wikipedia

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the one closest to the Sun, with an orbital period of about 88 Earth days, which is much faster than any other planet in the Solar System.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)