Interesting Facts

~ The planet has no winds because of the loss of atmosphere.
~ Mercury has a weaker gravity than Earth because of its size.
~ Mercury has an iron core, making it the second densest.
~ Mercury is often called a morning star because it shines brightly in the early morning just before the sun rises. 
~ If you stand on Mercury, the sun would appear two and a half times times bigger than it appears on Earth. 
~ The largest known feature (impact) on Mercury, has a diameter of 1,550 km!
~ Mercury may have water on its surface in form of ice.
~ Craters of Mercury are named after artists, writers, and musicians.
~ Mercury has no seasons.
~ Mercury's orbit is very eccentric, more than any other planet.
~  Sunlight cannot spread through Mercury so one side will be much darker than the other.
~ It is estimated that Mercury was formed 4.6 billion years ago.
~When viewed through a telescope, Mercury can often appear as a crescent because we often see the planet to one side of the sun.
~ At a single orbit, Mercury receives as much as 11 times the intensity of sunlight than Earth does.
~ Mercury's axis is almost perfectly vertical. 
~ The craters on Mercury are shallower than those on the moon.

Space Exploration

Mercury's mission was launched on August 3,2004 but it reached the orbit of Mercury on March 17,2011. The mission was called " Messenger." The goal of the mission was to map the surface composition, study the magnetic field and interior structure of Mercury. The mission discovered the Mercury's core is huge for the planet's size and that Mercury's core is partially liquid. It also discovered that 40 percent of Mercury's surface is mostly volcanic deposits. 

General Information

~ The diameter of Mercury is 4,880 km.
~ A day in Mercury is about 59 Earth days.
~ A year in Mercury is 88 Earth days. 
~ The average distance from the sun is 57,910,000 (0.39 A.U)

~ Mercury does not have any moons.
~ Mercury's surface is marred by an impressive number of craters and is rocky.
~ Mercury does not have an atmosphere, the gases were boiled off into space.
~ Mercury is named after the messenger of Roman gods.
~ The date of discovery is unknown.
~ 100 lbs would weigh only 38 lbs.
~ The highest temperature would be 800 degrees Fahrenheit and the lowest temperature would be -290 degrees Fahrenheit.
~The average mass of Mercury is 330,104,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg.
~ Mercury does not have any rings.