Mercury
- Diameter is 3,031 miles (4,878 km).
- Mean distance from Sun is 36,000,000 miles (57.9 million km).
- Temperature ranges from -315°F to 700°F.
- Average temperature is 340¯F (171°C).
- Mass is 0.06 times that of Earth.
- Volume is 0.06 times that of Earth.
- Mercury's mean Density is 5.43 times that of water.
- Mercury has no moons.
- Rotation takes 58 days, 15 hours, 30 minutes --
- Sidereal period of axial rotation is 58.65 days.
- Axial inclination is 0° from the plane of orbit.
- Revolution takes 87.97 days --
- Sidereal period is 88 days.
- Synodic period is 116 days.
- Escape velocity is 4.25 km/sec.
- The plane of orbit is inclined 7° to the plane of earth's orbit.
- Eccentricity of orbit is 0.206.
- Mercury has a weak magnetic field.
- Extremly thin atmosphere cosisting mostly of helium and argon.
- Is about 57,000,000 miles (92,000,000 km) closer to the sun than earth.
- Visible in sky only just before sunrise or at dusk.
- Because it orbits the Sun faster than any other planet, Mercury was named for the speedy messenger of the Roman gods.
- The next transits of Mercury will occur on May 7, 2003 (8h U.T.), and November 8, 2006 (22h U.T.).
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