2. Table of contents
• Need to know
• Landscape
• Temperature
• Mission to Mercury
• Beautiful sunrise
• Fast and fun facts
3. Mercury:
Need to know
• Part of our solar system
• Mercury is the 1st planet from the sun (Closest).
• It is a terrestrial or rocky planet (Like Earth).
• Looks almost like our moon but has no moons of
its own.
• Known for its temperature changes.
• No wind.
• No water.
• No oxygen.
• No chance for alien life.
4. Mercury:
Landscape
Being the planet closest to the
Sun, Mercury is embedded
with craters from comets and
asteroids pulled by the Sun’s
gravity. The biggest crater is
called The Caloris Basin;
formed billions of years ago
the impact of the object that
struck Mercury was so
powerful that shockwaves
traveled through the entire
planet and a jumbled, strange
landscape on the other side of
the planet is found where the Artist impression of the
shock waves met. impact
5. Mercury:
Temperature
Being the smallest planet and the one
closest to the sun gives Mercury
a fiery reputation. During day Mercury temperature
can raise to a searing 750°F (400°C) then at night can
plunge to -290°F (-180°C). This is because of Mercury’s
thin atmosphere letting the sun rays in and out easily,
resulting in drastic temperature changes. On Mercury
the sun shines 6 times more brightly then on earth and
the because of the thin atmosphere the sky will be
black.
6. Mission to Mercury
Missions to Mercury have been limited, there has
been only two spacecrafts that have voyaged to
Mercury:
1. In 1974-1975 the probe Mariner 10 flew past
Mercury tree times and photographed half the
surface.
2. Then in August 2004 Messenger was launched
to map the surface of planet Mercury and study
the magnetic field and composition. Messenger
is still active, orbiting Mercury.
7. Mercury:
A beautiful sunrise
If you are ever going to visit Mercury
the thing is see is the sunrise: visit
the solar systems smallest planet to
see the biggest sun rise.
The view of the sun on Mercury is practically 3 times bigger
then seen on earth. If you are at the right place at the exact
time you can see something astonishing that only happens
on Mercury.
A double sunrise! Since Mercury days are longer then its years,
the Sun moves in an unexpected way. If seen from the exact
location the sun will rise, dip back down and pop up again!
This, although, is a painfully slow process that takes place
over at least an entire month!
8. Mercury:
Fast and fun facts
Fast Fun
• Diameter: 4,878km (3,032 Since a day (176 earth days) on
miles) mercury is longer then a
• Rotation period: 88 days year (86 earth days), every
• Distance from the sun: 36 day on mercury you get two
million miles (58 million km) years older!
• Temperature: day: 750°F Mercury is part of the five
(400°C), night: -290°F (- planets that can be seen
180°C). without a telescope.
• Mass: 5.5% of Earth’s Mercury is named after the
Roman god (messenger of
• Moons: 0 the gods)
