Characteristics of Planet Mercury

1. Mercury is the innermost of the eight planets in our Solar System. It is the second densest major body in the solar system after Planet Earth and its density is slightly less than the density of Earth.

2. It orbits the Sun once in about 88 Earth days.

3. Its diameter is 4,878km at its equator, which is about two-fifths of Earth's diameter.

4. It completes its rotation around its axis in 58.6 days.

5. Its mass is 3.3022×10^23 kg.

6. It hasn’t any Moon.

7. Mercury is made mostly of rock and metal. Mercury has a large iron core which is most likely at least partially molten. Mercury's interior appears to resemble that of the Earth. Both planets have a rocky layer called a mantle beneath their crust and both planets have an iron core.


8. The surface of Mercury consists of cratered terrain and smooth plains and many deep craters similar to those on the moon. The craters are formed due to bombardment of meteors or small comets.

9. Scans of Mercury made by Earth-based radar indicate that craters at Mercury's poles contain water ice.

10. The temperature on the planet may reach 450 °C during the day. But at night, the temperature may drop as low as -170 °C.

11. Mercury is dry, extremely hot and almost airless. Small gravity of Mercury makes it unable to retain any significant atmosphere over long periods of time. The weak atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium and potassium.

12. The plant and animal life of the Earth could not live on Mercury because of the lack of oxygen and the intense heat.