Mercury

Mercury is the planet closest to the sun located at a distance of 57 million kilometers away from the sun. Since Mercury is so close to the sun, its atmosphere is quickly blown away by solar winds. This means that there is almost no air on Mercury. The lack of an atmosphere causes Mercury's temperatures to reach extreme highs and lows. Mercury's location near the sun also effects its rotations. The tidal forces from the sun cause Mercury to rotate very slowly. While it takes about 58 Earth days for Mercury to make a full rotation, the planet moves fairly quickly around the sun, making it all the way around in approximately 88 Earth days. Mercury is much smaller than the Earth and therefore contains less gravity. This means that if you were to go to Mercury you would weigh almost 40 pounds less than you would on Earth! Even though the planet is small, it is very heavy since a large percent of the planet is made up of iron. Mercury exists as the second most dense (heavy) planet in our Solar System. Mercury has a hot, iron core. As the core cooled over time it shrunk leaving wrinkles, known as Lobate Scarps, on Mercury's floor. The scarps can be hundreds of miles long and up to a mile high. The surface of the planet Mercury is covered with craters. These craters have been created by accidental encounters with asteroids and comets and will forever remain on Mercury's surface.
 * All About Mercury**


 * Astronomy Mythology**: Mercury was the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes. Hermes was the messenger of the gods and along with delivering messages, he was the protector of travelers and merchants.

Mass: 5% of the Earth Volume: 5% of the Earth Maximum Temperature: 870 degrees F Minimum Temperature: -300 degrees F 1 Orbit around the Sun: 87.969 days 1 Full Rotation: 58.646 days Moons: None
 * Fast Facts:**

Mercury is unique in that its orbit is not circular like most of the other planets, instead it rotates in the shape of an egg. This means Mercury experiences times when it is further from the sun than other times when it is closer. All of the other planets remain the same distance from the sun at all times.
 * Did you know?**

**This Week's Discussion:** Your discussion assignment is to respond to this page by picking one interesting fact about the planet Mercury and researching it in more depth. Write 5 or more sentences about your fact and respond to your classmates. See how much you can learn about Mercury!