Plus there are only these facts because the telescope that was lanched to take a look at mercury only maped 45% 43% of the planet and that was the closest maping of mercury. Venus is sometimes referred to as the earths sister planet due to their similar size and mass. Mercury facts for kids interesting facts about planet mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and is also the smallest of the eight planets in our solar system. I hope that you enjoy reading my 15 facts about mercury and find them interesting and fun. Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. Its distance from the sun varies from 29 to 43 million miles as it progresses through a highly elliptical path. Its orbital period around the sun is 88 days and its the shortest out of all the planets. Seven wonders of the rocky planets and their moons by ron. Your weight on mercury would be 38% of your weight on earth. Mercury s diameter measures in at about 3,032 miles 4,880 km, making it the smallest planet in our solar system.
Mercury, with the most erratic of all orbits in our solar system. As the iron ore of the planet cooled and then contracted it became all wrinkly. Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the one closest to the sun. However, there are many more interesting features that arent so obvious. Until nasas messenger spacecraft arrived there in 2008, we knew very little about the planet only. That may be the most obvious fact about the planet. Like the other planets in the solar system, mercury was born about 4. It is a poisonous metal, and the vapors of mercury are readily absorbed into the body through the respiratory tract, the digestive tract, and the skin.
The famous hubble space telescope can never be used to investigate mercury as the planet is so close to the sun that the suns light could destroy the telescopes mechanism. Mercurys orbit around the sun is the fastest orbit of all the solar system planets. Mercury is the second hottest planet in the solar system, reaching up to 800 degrees. With the exception of neptune and uranus the other 6 planets can be seen unaided and all 8 are visible with a small telescope or binoculars. If you could stand on mercury when it makes its closest approach to the sun 29 million miles, it would appear three times bigger than the sun does from earth. This figure was renowned for his swift movement and winged shoes. Mercury is a very wrinkly planet and aside from that it has the most number of craters in our solar systems because of its numerous runins with meteorites and comets. Jul 17, 2016 top 10 amazing facts about mercury top 10 archive. May 09, 2016 here are some interesting facts courtesy nasa.
Mercury is one of four terrestrial planets in the solar system, and is a rocky body like earth. What more, one of the riveting facts about planet mercury is that its south pole has a bigger magnetic field hole for charged particles to hit than its north pole. Mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus and neptune. Enjoy amazing trivia and have fun learning about the planets found in our solar system. At the same time, because of its mysterious state, numerous scientists around the world have been meticulously studying it from afar, trying to understand. The diameter of the metallic core is about 75% of the planet. The diminutive planet is about 3,030 miles 4,876 kilometers in diameter, making it about the size of the continental united states and only. Mercury is a shiny, silvery, liquid metal, sometimes called quicksilver. Facts about mercury interesting mercury facts you should. Its normal appearance is a liquid with silvery surface, hence its also called as quick silver. One of the fascinating facts about mercury is that 75% of its mass is the iron core which was very hot at one point. Venus is named after the roman goddess of love and beauty.
Fun mercury facts for kids cool information about this. Mercury has no atmosphere and no known satellites, perhaps because of its proximity to the sun. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and due to its proximity it is not easily seen except during twilight mercury is only the second hottest planet. For every 2 orbits of the sun, which takes around 88 earth days, mercury completes three rotations of its axis.
Saturn is the most distant planet that can be seen with the naked eye. Apr 28, 2016 mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the one closest to the sun. A year in mercury is 88 days, yet a mercury day is 176 earth days. In roman times mercury was a very busy god of commerce, wealth, eloquence, messages, travelers, luck, trickery. Mercury is so close to the sun, it is hard to directly observe it from earth except during dawn or twilight.
Interesting facts about mercury the planet all that is. His speed is why mercury got its name, as it is the. It is a transition metal with atomic number 80 on the periodic table and an atomic weight of 200. Atoms that are blasted off the surface by the solar wind and.
Jan 31, 2011 mercury, the first planet we name in the solar system back when we were kids. Temperatures range from well below zero on the surface to nearly 800f on the sunlit side of the planet. All eight planets can be see through the use of an inexpensive amateur telescope or binoculars. The fun facts section contains unusual facts about each of the continents, names, global gestures, and out of this world dealing with myths or ancient beliefs about the earth. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, the distance between them being 35,980,000 miles 57,910,000. It is named after the ancient roman god of trade and profit. Thats about the only thing most people know about the planet mercury. With the exception of uranus and neptune, each of these planets can be seen unaided.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun at approximately 57 million km away. Mercury, the first planet we name in the solar system back when we were kids. Project mercury was the first time nasa sent people into space. Here are ten fascinating facts about mercury that make it unique. Mercury its atomic symbol is hg hydtagyrum which in greek means water silver. Venus is the second planet from the sun and is the second largest terrestrial planet. Lets find out some more detailed facts about mercury. Mercury is only slightly larger than the earths moon. Mercury, which is one of the five planets visible to the naked eye, is the smallest planet in the solar system. Even though the planet is small, mercury is very dense. An overview about the chemical element mercury interesting facts about neon interesting facts. As well as being very hot, it features a barren, crater covered surface which looks similar to earths moon. Whether its for kids looking to learn more about space, or youre looking for incredible facts for an article, or even if you just love space facts for no real reason, this is for you.
In our solar system of planets the 5 closets planets to the sun are made largely of rocky material. Mercury planet facts interesting facts about the planets. Mercury has the slowest day of all the planets which iasts 180 days, making a day longer than a year. Solar system planet shaped flip flap book mercury once assembled your students will love that it will actually look like mercury. Mercury orbits so quickly around the sun that early civilizations believed it was actually two. The graphics and photos within whats weird on earth are colorful and detailed. This book will rocket mercury to the top of the must visit next planet list. Interesting facts about mercury mercury is pretty hard to catch on the telescope, and its never been fully mapped out, so, you could call it the least known planet in our solar system. As the planet nearest the sun, the surface of mercury can reach a scorching 840 degrees f. The guinness world record for the longest tv ad was a 14 hour version of an ad by old spice, because their product lasts forever. Mercury is obviously getting old as it has wrinkles. Mercury has the fastest year of all the planets lasting only 88 days. Jan 28, 2015 mercury has the thinnest atmosphere of any planet in the solar system. All communication equipments will be down whether it is the landline, faxmachine, or the internet.
Facts about mercury 5 facts about the planet mercury. Oct 26, 2016 mercury completes 3 rotations about its axis, for each 2 orbits of the sun and up till 1965 it had thought that a similar side of mercury constantly faced the sun. This may sound surprising given that the planet is so close to the sun, but the ice is in permanently shadowed craters that dont receive any sunlight. Mercury is the closest planet to our sun and is the smallest planet in our solar system.
Named after the fastestmoving planet in the solar system, mercury has been known to humanity for ages. This page is a continuously updated list of the most incredible, aweinspiring and unbelievable facts about space. Nov 22, 2016 closer to the sun than any other planet in our solar system and also the smallest of the eight planets, mercury is rocky and without an atmosphere. If youre a healthy adult, you have enough iron in your body to make up a 3inch nail. Mercury completes 3 rotations about its axis, for each 2 orbits of the sun and up till 1965 it had thought that a similar side of mercury constantly faced the sun. While earth ranks first in terms of being the densest planet, mercury isnt far behind and is the secondmost densest planet in our solar system with a metallic core spanning between 3,600 and 3,800 kilometers or 2,200 and 2,400 miles. Looks life mercury likes to pick up fights with asteroids and meteors from time to time. The planet s atmosphere is so thin that scientists have another name for it. All about mercury nasa space place nasa science for kids. In exploring mercury they have condensed all that is known to date about this enigmatic planet into a wellreferenced, eminently readable, accessible, and superbly illustrated monograph. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, the distance between them being 35,980,000 miles 57,910,000 km. Mercury facts interesting facts about planet mercury.
Mercury has a solid, cratered surface, much like the earths moon. Scores of science fiction writers have been inspired by mercury, including isaac asimov, c. The smallest planet in our solar system has a big presence in our collective imagination. Such a small planet should have lost its heat and solidified, but mercurys core churns on, generating a magnetic field albeit one hundredth that of earth and an actual magnetosphere around the planet to deflect the solar wind.
Mercury also has the most eccentric orbit out of all the planets. Mentioned below are some interesting facts about the planet mercury which your kids will love to know. Mercury orbits the sun in 88 days, which means 1 earth year on mercury is 88 days. Jan 26, 2018 mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system.
Never ever sign a contract or any kind ofdocuments. Named after the god and planet mercury, its symbol hg reflects its liquid nature as the greek word hydrargyrum translates as liquid silver. Lines up perfectly with numbered pages, dashed guidelines for cutting, and engaging pages with activities. Mercury is named after the roman swiftfooted messenger god. It is the smallest planet in the solar system, with an equatorial radius of 2,439. Know why mercury is shrinking and other cool things. Venus is nearly as big as the earth with a diameter of 12,104 km. It is the fifth brightest object in the solar system and is also easily studied through binoculars or a small telescope.
Saturn was known to the ancients, including the babylonians and far eastern observers. To a mercury resident, the sun would look three times larger than we see it on earth. So, i have listed down some interesting facts about mercury, the planet. Learn all the amazing facts and information about the smallest planet mercury. Mercury is also smalleralbeit more massivethan the largest natural satellites in the solar system, ganymede and titan. Pictures of mercury, the closest planet to the sun. Mercury can also get as low as 270 degrees at its night. Mercury may be the closest planet to the sun but it experiences temperature changes that are the most extreme of any planet in the solar system, including dropping to 275 f170 c. Here is a list of fun facts about the planet mercury. Mercury s day the length of time it takes to orbit the sun is 88 earth days. Mercury speeds through space at around 30 miles per second 50 km per second, faster than any other planet in the solar system. Heraclitus, a greek philosopher before the time of socrates.
Facts about mercury mercury has been known to humanity since ancient times and although its discovery date is unknown. The first visit to mercury was a flyby made by the mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974. Mercury is a small planet which orbits closer to the sun than any other planet in our solar system. Mercury is roughly the same size as the earths moon and about two fifths the size of the earth. The seven wonders of the rocky inner planets mercury, venus, earth, and mars are. The national aeronautics and space administration nasa was founded in 1958 as the american government agency responsible for the countrys space programs. Mercury is named after the roman deity mercury, the messenger of the gods. Take a look below for 32 more interesting and fascinating facts about mercury. There are 8 planets in our solar system, they are mercury, venus, earth, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus and neptune.
The planet mercury is a bit larger than the earths moon. However, it is so weak that it amounts to just 1% of what our planet produces on the pole. Mercury was first viewed through a telescope in the early 17th century by galileo. Nov 15, 2010 mercury is the closest planet to the sun in earths solar system, but has no moons and no substantial atmosphere. In greek mythology, mercury the messenger of the roman gods was called hermes. What are some interesting facts about the planet mercury. This planet has been known to humans for at least 5,000 years. Television and film writers, too, have found the planet an ideal location for storytelling. Facts about project mercury dk find out fun facts for.
These facts are wonderful facts about a small planet in our solar system if you do not appreciate this work then do not go on random websites. Mercury is the closest planet to sun and hence, its surface temperature during. Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. Heres some cool and fun facts about the planet mercury. The diameter of planet mercury is 4,878 km 3,031 miles. Mercury also produces its magnetic field that is pretty similar to earth. While its an extremely rare element, theres a world of interesting information about mercury. Dec 23, 2015 close by the sun is mercury, a practically atmospherelike world that has a lot of craters. Facts about mercury a year on mercury is just 88 days long. Mercury is a rocky planet, also known as a terrestrial planet.
Oct 19, 2018 living up to its name, mercury is the fastest planet in the solar system, speeding along at about 29 miles per second and completing each orbit around the sun in just 88 earth days. Mercury fun facts cool kid facts fun facts for kids. Mercury is used in the manufacturing of mercury vapor lamps, which are used for street lighting. Fascinating facts list about planet mercury interesting.
Because mercury was the fastest planet as it moved around the sun, it is named after the roman deity mercury, the messenger of t. It is a very hot planet which has a barren surface which looks similar to earths moon. Aug 11, 2011 i introduce my file facts about mercury. There are deposits of ice at the poles of mercury, in places where sunlight is never seen. See more ideas about space facts, planet project and solar system projects. Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system. It is the smallest planet in our solar system and the closest planet to the sun. Join us as we make our final landing on the 1st planet in the orbital order, as we explore ten amazing facts about the suns closest. Things you never knew about mercury the science explorer. The smallest of these is mercury, and it also happens to be the planet in closest orbit to the sun.
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