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Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, and it is the smallest
planet in the solar system. Mercury not only has the smallest orbit
of any planet in our solar system, but it orbits at a faster speed
than any other planet. Since it moves so quickly, it was named after
a figure from ancient Roman mythology: Mercury, the messenger of the
gods with winged feet. Mercury can only be seen from Earth just
before sunrise or right after sunset, but never in the middle of the
night. This is because from Earth, Mercury is very near the sun, and
so when the earth rotates away from the sun it also rotates away
from Mercury.
Mercury does not have much atmosphere. Since atmosphere helps
regulate a planet's temperature, the surface of Mercury is very hot
on the side facing the sun and very cold on the side facing away
from the sun. The surface of Mercury is covered with craters where
meteorites and asteroids have crashed into it.
Things to remember about Mercury:
- Mercury is the closest planet to the sun.
- Mercury is the smallest planet.
- Mercury has a thin atmosphere.
- Mercury has extreme temperatures—very hot and very cold.
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