Planets {Mercury, planet} can be nearest to Sun.
properties
Diameter is 5,000,000 meters. Mass is 5% Earth mass. Density is slightly less than Earth density. Gravity is one-third Earth gravity.
properties: temperature
Surface temperature is 350 C by day and -170 C at night.
properties: rotation
Mercury rotates every 59 days on axis tilted 28 degrees to ecliptic, because Sun gravity couples spin to orbit.
properties: magnetism
Mercury has tiny magnetic field.
properties: orbit
Mercury is 58,000,000,000 meters from Sun. It has elliptical orbit of 88 days, tilted at 7 degrees to ecliptic.
layers
Mercury has iron core out to 3/4 radius. Mantle has igneous rocks, silicates, iron, and titanium glasses. Thin surface layer has fine, dark silicates. Surface is similar to Moon. It has shallow cliffs greater than 100,000 meters long, caused by crust tightening. It has no large craters. Higher gravity than Moon kept secondary craters near craters, so surface has plains between craters and basins.
atmosphere
Mercury has no atmosphere.
moons
Mercury has no moons.
Physical Sciences>Astronomy>Solar System>Planet>Planets
5-Astronomy-Solar System-Planet-Planets
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Date Modified: 2022.0224