I’m feeling like some space knowledge today. So, let’s talk about Mercury. No, not the stuff in thermometers. As you’ll notice, I don’t have sources cited. This is because I have compiled information based on many sources, cross-referenced and triple-checked to be sure everyone agrees. Unlike the general idea of how many planets there are in our solar system. I know people disagree, that’s why what I have put below is pretty much just the bare-bones about Mercury. Yes, this is elementary, get over it.

     Mercury is one of the smallest planets and the closest to the sun in our solar system. The orbital period for mercury is only about 88 earth days. Mercury is approximately 35,980,000 miles (57,910,000KM) from the sun. It has a radius of 1,516 miles (2,440KM) and a density of 5.43 g/cm³. Its mass is only 0.055 Earth masses and has a surface area of 28.88 million square miles (74.8 million KM square). Compared to Earth, the length of a single day on Mercury lasts 58 days, 15 hours, and 30 minutes. It travels around the sun faster than any other planet in our solar system.

 (Photo from generic Google search)

     Mercury has almost no atmosphere and its dusty surface resembles the moon. The surface is composed of a dusty layer of minerals, like silicates, which create plains, craters, and cliffs. Dust aside, Mercury is a heavy planet. As the sun formed, it pushed many of the lighter elements away, leaving the heavy elements to create the inner planets. As a result, Mercury is composed primarily of heavy elements, like iron, with the silicates just forming the outer crust. This crust is only about 300-400 miles thick (500-600KM)

     Due to the thin atmosphere, a thin mixture of 95% helium and hydrogen, mercury alternates between freezing and boiling. The sun-side reached 950 degrees Fahrenheit (510 degrees Celsius) while the dark side can get as cold as negative 346 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 210 degrees Celsius).

     The gravitational pull on Mercury is less than that of Earth. If you traveled to there, you would weigh only 38% of what you weighed on Earth. So there you go, no more need to diet, just go to Mercury and you'll lose 62% of what you currently weigh! 

     OK, so now that we're done with our elementary astronomy lesson, what shall we learn next? 

Obviously, something that has nothing to do with mercury, or space, or anything that would logically follow this post. Enjoy!