1. MERCURY - FACTS ABOUT THE SMALLEST ONE
MERCURY
PROFILE
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Mass
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330,104,000,000,000 billion kg (0.055 x Earth)
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Equatorial Diameter = Polar Diameter
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4,879 km
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Equatorial Circumference
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15,329 km
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Satellites
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none
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Orbit Distance
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57,909,227 km (0.39 AU)
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Orbit Period
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87.97 Earth days
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Surface Temperature
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-173 to 427°C
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✪ Because of it's proximity to the sun, it is hard to directly observe from Earth except during twilight.
✪ Unlike the Earth and most other planets Mercury only turns very slowly on its axis, taking 59 days to complete the turn from day to night.
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| Mercury's Size Compared to the Size of Earth |
✪ Mercury has no moons. Moons are satellites that travel with a planet as it orbits the sun.
✪ If we suppose the gravity of Earth = 1 than the gravity of Mercury will be 0.38.
✪ The atmosphere on Mercury is almost non-existent, so there is no weather on Mercury and because of it there is no possibility of life on Mercury. As it has no atmosphere around it to protect it from the Sun or to retain any heat when it rotates on its axis, the surface of Mercury is covered with craters and completely dry.
✪ Mercury’s sunny side has a temperature rising to 427° Celsius or 800.6° Fahrenheit. On other hand Mercury’s dark side, however, is very cold indeed, with the temperature going down to -173° Celsius or -279.4° Fahrenheit.
✪ Despite being the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury is not the warmest. Venus is warmer. In fact, Mercury can be one of the coldest planets in the Solar System
✪ Only one spacecraft has ever visited Mercury: Mariner 10, which imaged about 45 percent of the surface. The Mariner 10 spacecraft passed close to the planet in 1974 and 1975 and took very clear photographs.
✪ Mercury is the most cratered planet in the Solar System with a surface similar to Earth's Moon.
✪ NASA’s latest mission to Mercury is called Messenger. The Messenger spacecraft entered Mercury’s orbit in March 2011 and is sending back new pictures of the planet. Messenger is now moving with Mercury round the Sun.
✪ BepiColumbo (Europe, 2011) is the planned mission for Mercury.
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