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ORBONIX · SOLAR SYSTEM
MERCURY
The smallest planet in the Solar System
and the closest world to the Sun.
MERCURY · TRUE COLOR
57.9 million km
AVERAGE DISTANCE FROM SUN
4,879 km
DIAMETER
88 DAYS
ORBITAL PERIOD
58.6 DAYS
ROTATION PERIOD
5.43 g/cm³
AVERAGE DENSITY
−180°C → 430°C
APPROX. SURFACE TEMPERATURE
THE SMALLEST PLANET
Mercury is the smallest planet in the
Solar System and the closest planet to
the Sun.
Its surface is heavily cratered and
resembles the Moon. Mercury has only an
extremely thin exosphere rather than a
substantial atmosphere.
Mercury also has a very unusual rotation.
It rotates once every 58.6 Earth days and
orbits the Sun every 88 Earth days.
Because of its 3:2 spin-orbit resonance,
one solar day on Mercury lasts about
176 Earth days.
EXTREME TEMPERATURES
Mercury experiences enormous
temperature differences between
its day and night sides.
GIANT IRON CORE
Mercury has a proportionally enormous
metallic core compared with the other
terrestrial planets.
WATER ICE
Permanent shadows inside some deep
polar craters can remain cold enough
to preserve water ice.
DID YOU KNOW?
A single day from sunrise to sunrise
on Mercury lasts about
176 Earth days.
IMAGE:
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS · MERCURY
TRUE COLOR IMAGE