Planet Mercury

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Mercury

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is smaller than the moons Ganymede and Titan but larger than the planet Pluto. It is heavily cratered, showing impact scars from countless bombardments by meteoroids. Old lava flows and quake faults also mark its crust. Mercury has no atmosphere, but surprisingly, scientists have found evidence for a polar ice cap on this hot little globe. Mercury was explored in three flybys by the spacecraft in 1974 and 1975.

Planet Profile

Mass (kg)............................................3.3 x 10^23
Diameter (km)........................................4878
Mean density (kg/m^3) ...............................5420
Escape velocity (m/sec)..............................4300

Average distance from Sun (AU).......................0.387
Rotation period (length of day in Earth days)........58.65
Revolution period (length of year in Earth days).....87.97

Obliquity (tilt of axis in degrees)..................0
Orbit inclination (degrees)..........................7
Orbit eccentricity (deviation from circular).........0.206

Mean surface temperature (K).........................452
Maximum surface temperature (K)......................700
Minimum surface temperature (K)......................100

Visual geometric (reflectivity)...............0.12
Largest known surface feature........................Caloris Basin (1350 km diameter)
Atmospheric components...............................trace amounts of hydrogen and helium

Full specification and planet images for (courtesy of NASA)

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