Planet Mercury Facts

Our Mercury facts for kids will give you lots of amazing and interesting facts about Mercury

Mercury is the Closest Planet to the sun in the solar system, still, it is the second hottest planet. Venus is the hottest. It is also the Smallest Planet among all eight planets. It is just a little bigger than Earth’s moon. The distance from the sun to mercury is over 35 million miles.

Mercury Quick Facts

Mass: 330,104,000,000,000 billion kg (0.055 x Earth)
Diameter: 4,879 km
Day: 176 Earth days
Year: 88 Earth days
Radius: 1,516 miles (2,439.7 kilometers)
Planet Type: Terrestrial
Moons: None
Orbit Distance: 57,909,227 km (0.39 AU)
Orbit Period: 88 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -173 to 427°C
First Record: 14th Century BC
Recorded By: Assyrian astronomers

Below, we have prepared a list of best interesting facts about Mercury. Maybe some of them you will already know but some Mercury facts will definitely surprise you. So let’s start the amazing journey of Planet Mercury.

FACT 1. Mercury is named after the messenger of the Roman gods

FACT 2. Mercury does not have any moons or rings.

FACT 3. A day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days.

FACT 4. A year on Mercury lasts 88 Earth days.

FACT 5. Mercury only has one sunrise every 180 Earth days!

FACT 6. The diameter of Mercury is 3,031 miles

FACT 7. Mercury has a solid surface covered with craters.

FACT 8. It orbits the sun in only 88 days. That is faster than any other planet because it is the closest planet to the sun and it doesn’t take very long to go all the way around.

FACT 9. The temperature on Mercury during the day is extremely hot. It can reach over 800 degrees F, but at night, temperatures can get extremely cold. It may be – 300 F.

FACT 10. Our weight on Mercury would be 38% of our weight on Earth. It means 100 lbs on Earth would weigh about 38 lbs. On Mercury.

FACT 11. Mercury is the second densest planet after the Earth.

FACT 12. Mercury has a thin atmosphere that is made up of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium, and potassium.

FACT 13. Only two spacecraft have ever visited Mercury named Mariner 10 and MESSENGER.

FACT 14. Only half of Mercury has ever been seen.

FACT 15. It’s not known who discovered Mercury

Must visit the website of NASA to know more Mercury facts for kids.