15 Interesting Facts About Planet Mercury
Mercury is the solar system ‘s innermost planet and its eighth in size and mass. The closeness to the Sun and its smallness make it the most mysterious planet in size and mass apparent to the unaided eye. Planet Mercury, the innermost planet in the solar system and the eighth. The closeness to the Sun and its smallness make it the most mysterious of planets that are apparent to the eye without support.
Here are 15 interesting facts about planet Mercury.
1. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god.
2. The temperature during the day can reach 840 degrees Fahrenheit (450 degrees Celsius), but at night, temperatures can get as low as minus 275 F (minus 170 C). That fluctuation equals a temperature swing of more than 1,100 F (600 C), the largest of any planet in the solar system.
3. Mercury has been known to humanity since ancient times and although its discovery date is unknown, the first mentions of the planet are believed to be around 3000 BC by the Sumerians.
