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| Closest planet to the Sun, the eighth largest planet in the solar system | |
| Average distance from the Sun | 57,910,000 km / 0.38 AU |
| Diameter | 4,880 km |
| Mass | 3.30e23 kg |
| Orbital period around the Sun | 0.24 Earth years / 88 Earth days |
| Number of moons | 0 |
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| Because of its proximity to the Sun, temperature variations on Mercury are the most extreme in the solar system ranging from –170º C (–270º F) to 430º C (800º F). Its solid surface is covered with craters and it has almost no atmosphere. There is evidence of ice in the protected shadows of craters near the north pole. Mercury is best viewed with a small telescope or binoculars during its greatest western or eastern elongation, during pre-dawn or early sunset. | |
Our Solar System
Our solar system is located on the edge of a spiral arm called Orion’s Arm, and is one-half to two-thirds of the way (28,000 light-years) from the center of our Milky Way galaxy.The Sun, Sol
The Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
The Moon
Mars
The Asteroid Belt
Dwarf planet, Ceres
Asteroid, Ida
Asteroid, Vesta
Asteroid, Eros
The Outer Planets
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The Kuiper Belt
Dwarf planet, Pluto
Dwarf planet, Eris
The Oort Cloud
Dwarf planet, Sedna
Comet Halley
Comet Hale-Bopp
Glossary of Terms
