MercuryBy Megan Carlson, Kaya Hall,

Jacob McHugh, & Lilli McCreery

History• Mercury as named

after the Roman god Mercury

• It is the closest plant to the Sun

• Known about since ancient times

• Greeks called it Apollo as the morning star and Hermes as the Evening star

Mercury

god of trade

Rotation• Mercury rotates

around the sun every 88 days

• Second slowest planet to rotate around the sun (Venus being the slowest)

• One day on Mercury lasts 176 earth days

Revolution• 58.6 Earth days

Distances• Closest Planet to Sun• Average distance from Sun: 57,910,000 km (36

million miles)

Distances• Opposition (closest distance from Earth, but

farthest from Sun): 77 million km (48 million miles)

• Farthest distance (opposite sides of Sun): 222 million km (138 million miles)

Size• Surface Area: 7.48 x 107 km2 - 10.8% of Earth’s

surface area• Volume: 6.083 x 1010 km2 - 5.4% of Earth’s

volume.• Equatorial Diameter: 4,879 km (15,988,845 feet)

Size• Second smallest planet• Some scientists believe it is shrinking due to its

liquid core and rotation• The rotation is cooling parts of the core• Terrestrial Planet

Density• Second most dense• Density: 5.427 g/cm3 (Earth: 5.515 g/cm3)• If gravitational compression was not taken into

account, Mercury would be more dense• Most density comes from core (42% of volume)

Temperature• Has a huge range in temperature• Ranges from -168oC – 428oC (-270oF – 800oF)• Daytime: temperatures rise very high (only Venus

is hotter)

• Nighttime: thin atmosphere releases temperatures so it drops quickly

Composition

• Mercury isn’t very dense so it doesn’t have than much gravity

• It has a large core which is most likely partly molten and generates a magnetic field about 1% as strong as Earth’s

• Interior resembles that of Earth• Has a rocky layer, called the mantle, beneath the

crust and an iron core

Atmosphere• Planet is too small to hold down a normal

atmosphere and the one it has is constantly being blown away; however, there is a very thin one

• Atmosphere consists of: hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium

• Atmospheric pressure at surface is 1 trillionth of Earth’s

Satellites

• There are no satellites orbiting Mercury

Physical Characteristics

• The smallest planet• Brown• Dry

Physical Characteristics• Rocky & crater-like• Looks like the moon• Has some plains & hills

What it Would Be Like to Go There

• Its impossible!• No water or living life

What it Would Be Like to Go There

• Severe weather change• Very icy• Burning hot• Lava eruptions on surface