Mercury
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| Average Distance From Sun: | 58 Million KM |
| Nearest Distance to Earth: | 85 Million KM |
| Temperature on Sunlit Side: | 400°C |
| Temperature on Dark Side: | -170°C |
| Diameter: | 4880 KM |
| Mass: | 0.056 Earth Standard |
| Gravity: | 0.38 Earth Standard |
| Atmosphere: | Traces of Helium, Neon, Argon |
| Moons: | None |
| Mercury Year: | 88 Earth Days |
| Mercury Days: | 59 Earth Days |
| Mercury | is the closest planet to the Sun. | |||
| In 1974 the US space probe Mariner 10 discovered that its surface is cratered by meteorite impacts. Its largest known feature is the Caloris Basin, 1,400 km, There are also cliffs hundreds of kilometres long and up to 4 km high, thought to have been formed by the cooling of the planet billions of years ago. Inside is an iron core three-quarters of the planet's diameter, which produces a magnetic field 1% the strength of the Earth's.  to go to Transit page.Being the closest planet to the sun, Mercury has to endure extremely high temperatures and any atmosphere there may have been, would have been burnt off long ago. A mystery is why has mercury still got a molten core, and magnetic field; it should have cooled down long ago. | ||||
| Mercury | usually appears as a bright "star" with a yellowish or ochre hue. At its best evening apparitions, it can be found almost directly above where the Sun has set, being visible for up to 90 minutes after sundown. As viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, such an opportunity will come between February 10 to March 3, 2006. It will also be positioned to the north of a thin crescent Moon on the evening of February 28. During its best morning apparitions, you'll find it positioned almost directly above where the Sun will rise up to 90 minutes prior to sunrise. Such an occasion will come between November 18 to December 9 and it will appear to ride well to the north a slender sliver of a crescent Moon on the morning of November 19. On November 8, a transit of Mercury will take place, with the planet appearing in silhouette as a tiny black dot on the Sun's disk. This event will be visible from the Americas, the Pacific Ocean, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia.  to read more
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 for large colourmap  for large bumpmap for large photo of Mercury.
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| Currently, | a spacecraft called, MESSENGER, is on it`s way to visit Mercury. The flybys will have approach phase angles of 112° (in October 2007) and 129° (July 2008). The angles correspond to the Sun lighting 1/3 and 1/5 of the surface facing MESSENGER as the spacecraft approaches. MESSENGER can view opposite sides of the never-before-imaged hemisphere of Mercury soon after minimum altitude passage. to read more.
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| During the Mercury flybys | MESSENGER will map nearly the entire planet in color, image most of the part of the planet unseen by Mariner 10, and take reconnaissance measurements of surface, atmosphere and magnetosphere composition. This would be a full science return for some missions, but it is just the start for MESSENGER. The flyby results will be invaluable for planning the yearlong orbital mission that follows. for MESSENGER spacecraft webcam.
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Mercury | ||||
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