Chargement...
Observation of the planet Mercury
The planet closest to the Sun. Small and rocky, it experiences extreme temperature differences between day and night.
- Diamètre4,879.4 km
- Inclinaison0.0352°
- Masse3,3011x10^23 kg
- Temp. moy.167 °C
- Pér. rotation58,6458 jours
- Vit. rotation10.892 km/h
- Pér. révolution87.969 jours
- Vit. orbitale47.362 km/s
- Périhélie46,001,200 km
- Aphélie69,816,900 km
Mercury
Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun.
Characteristics
Mercury, one of the four terrestrial planets (rocky), is the planet closest to the Sun and the least massive in the solar system.
It is three times smaller than the Earth and is visible to the naked eye in the sky.
Mercury has the most eccentric orbit of the solar system : its distance from the Sun varies from 46 to 70 million km.
Characteristics
Mercury has a surface similar to that of the Moon, it is covered with a dusty carpet and craters.
Internal structure
As a terrestrial planet, Mercury has a rocky body. It is composed of about 70% metals which are mainly located in its core and 30% sillicate which are mainly located in its mantle. It has the second highest density in the solar system with 5,427 g/cm3.
Magnetic field
Mercury has a magnetic field despite its size and low rotation speed. The intensity of its magnetic field is 200 nT (0.65% of that of the Earth whose intensity is 31 μT).