Mercury stamp by Undevicesimus on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

:icongouseplz::iconthisartplz:
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Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, often obscured by the Solar effulgence and difficult to view from Earth. It is also the fastest moving planet, which may explain why it is named after the Roman god Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods. The Mariner 10 spacecraft approached Mercury in 1974 and 1975, mapping 45% of the planet and showing the Mercurian surface to be covered with craters. Mercury has no atmosphere, meaning the sunlit side of the planet would be capable of rapidly melting lead.

Aphelion: 69,816,900 km
Perihelion: 46,001,200 km
Diameter at equator: 4,880 km
Rotation period (1 day): 176 Earth days
Orbital period (1 year): 88 Earth days
Av. orbital speed: 47.87 km/s
Av. surface temperature: 350°C (day) / -170°C (night)
Mass (Earth = 1): 0.05
Satellites: 0

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