Closest Planet to the Sun The closest planet to the Sun is Mercury. Mercury is the smallest and closest planet to the Sun in our solar system. The name Mercury is taken from the name of the Roman god who was the messenger of the gods. Mercury is located in the inner part of the solar system, closer to the Sun than the other planets.
Mercury has a diameter of about 4,879 kilometers and is the eighth smallest planet in our solar system. The distance between Mercury and the Sun is about 58 million kilometers. Due to its very close distance to the Sun, temperatures on Mercury’s surface can be as high as 800 degrees Fahrenheit (427 degrees Celsius) during the day and as low as -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-179 degrees Celsius) at night.
Mercury has a very thin, almost non-existent atmosphere. Due to Mercury’s low gravity, the planet’s atmosphere often flies into space. That’s why Mercury has a sky that appears black during the day. Mercury’s atmosphere consists of several gases that exist in space, such as helium and sodium.
The surface conditions of Mercury are very different from those of Earth. This planet has many craters formed by collisions with asteroids and comets over billions of years. Some craters on Mercury have diameters of more than 1,000 kilometers. Mercury’s surface also has wide and straight plains called “plains”. Some plains on Mercury look very flat and look like deserts on Earth.
Mercury’s rotation time is very slow. One day on Mercury takes about 59 Earth days or almost two Earth months. However, Mercury has a very fast orbit around the Sun. One year on Mercury only takes about 88 Earth days.
Exploration of Mercury is carried out by space probe missions. NASA launched a space probe called Mariner 10 in 1973 to observe Mercury at close range. During the mission, Mariner 10 managed to take photos of Mercury’s surface and collect information about the planet.
In 2011, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a space probe mission called BepiColombo to Mercury. BepiColombo is a spacecraft consisting of two modules that will orbit Mercury and study the planet for the next few years. The BepiColombo mission is expected to provide further information about the origins and characteristics of the planet closest to the Sun.
With its small diameter, thin atmosphere, and extreme temperatures, Mercury is an interesting planet for scientists to study. Despite having conditions as inhospitable to life as those on Earth, exploration of Mercury could help us understand the origins and evolution of the planets in our solar system.
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2023-10-21 02:13:54
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