Here are 10 fascinating facts about the planet Mercury, perfect for kids to learn and enjoy!
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Closest to the Sun: Mercury is the planet in our solar system that orbits closest to the Sun. Because it's so close, it whizzes around the Sun much faster than Earth!
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Smallest Planet (Almost!): Mercury used to be known as the smallest planet, but now it's the second smallest after Pluto's demotion. It's only a bit bigger than Earth's Moon.
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Rocky Planet: Mercury is a rocky planet, just like Earth, Mars, and Venus. This means it's made of rock and metal.
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Cratered Surface: Mercury is covered in craters, which are big dents made by asteroids and comets crashing into it a long, long time ago. It looks a lot like our Moon!
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Slow Rotation, Fast Orbit: A day on Mercury (how long it takes to spin once) is very long – it takes 59 Earth days! But a year on Mercury (how long it takes to orbit the Sun) is only 88 Earth days. So, you could have two birthdays in one Mercury day!
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Extreme Temperatures: Because it's so close to the Sun, Mercury gets incredibly hot during the day. The side facing the sun can reach temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius). However, because it has almost no atmosphere to trap heat, the side facing away from the sun gets incredibly cold, plummeting to -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 degrees Celsius).
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Thin Atmosphere: Mercury has a very, very thin atmosphere called an exosphere. It's so thin that it's almost a vacuum. This exosphere is made up of atoms that are blasted off the surface by solar wind and micrometeoroid impacts.
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No Moons or Rings: Mercury is a lonely planet - it has no moons orbiting it and no rings surrounding it.
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Core of Iron: Scientists believe that Mercury has a large core made mostly of iron. This core takes up a large portion of the planet's interior.
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Named After a Roman God: Mercury is named after the Roman god Mercury, who was the messenger god, known for his speed. This is fitting because Mercury is the fastest-moving planet in our solar system!
