Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is a terrestrial planet. That means a planet
made from rock like Earth. It does not have a gas atmosphere, so there is no
weather. For a long time, only one spacecraft, Mariner 10, had visited Mercury. In
January 2008, the MESSENGER spacecraft went by Mercury. It will go by Mercury two
more times before starting to go around the planet in 2011.
How Big Is Mercury?
Mercury is 4879 km across. Mercury's diameter is just less than half the diameter of
the Earth. It is the smallest planet in the Solar System. Only dwarf planets like Pluto
are smaller. Mercury's small size and its closeness to the Sun sometimes make it
difficult to see without a telescope or binoculars. The best time to spot Mercury in the
sky is just after the sun goes down at night or shortly before it rises in the morning.
What is Mercury's surface like?
Mercury has craters like those on the Earth's moon. The largest crater on Mercury is
the Caloris Basin. It is about 1300 km wide. It was created by a huge asteroid hitting
Mercury. The asteroid was probably 100 km wide, but it hit Mercury's surface so hard
that it made a much bigger hole.
The surface also has big cliffs called scarps. They were made long ago when
Mercury cooled down. It shrank, causing the surface to get wrinkled in some places.
This wrinkling created the scarps.
There may also be ice on the top and bottom of Mercury. Like the Earth, these areas
(called poles) don't get much warmth from the Sun. Any ice there won't melt.
It is very hot during the day (over 400°C) because Mercury is so close to the Sun. At
night it is very cold because Mercury loses almost all its heat since there is almost
no atmosphere to keep the warmth there. The temperature can fall to almost -175°C.
DID YOU KNOW?
How long is a day on this planet?
Mercury rotates (spins around) much more slowly than the Earth. It takes Mercury 58
days to spin once. Because Mercury orbits the sun very quickly, a day on Mercury
lasts longer than 58 days. If you were standing on Mercury, at the equator and timed
how long it took the sun to go from directly overhead to sunset to sunrise and then
rise directly overhead again, it would take 176 Earth days. These long days and
nights allow for the temperatures to rise as high, and fall as low, as they do.
How long is a year on Mercury?
Mercury has the shortest year in the Solar System. It is about 88 Earth days long.
It used to be believed that the same side of Mercury always faced the Sun. In order for
this to be true, Mercury would have to take the same amount of time to rotate (spin
around) as it does to circle the sun. Through careful observation we now know that
Mercury's rotation is somewhat faster than its orbit. Because of the way the orbit and
rotation work together, on Mercury, a day is actually almost twice as long as a year.
What is Mercury made of?
The centre of Mercury is made of iron in partly-molten (liquid) form. We know that it is
iron at the centre because the planet generates a magnetic field. It contains more
iron for its size than any other planet in the Solar System. The rest of Mercury, its thick
crust, is made of a special type of rock called silicate rocks. There are craters near
the poles that are constantly in shadow. Some of these craters contain ice. There is a
huge crater on Mercury called Caloris Basin. It was formed when a comet hit the
planet and lava or molten rock filled the impact crater. The round wall of this crater is
over 2km tall.
How much would Mercury's gravity pull on me?
If you were on Mercury, it would pull you down less than half (38%) as much as the
Earth. An item that weighs 100 Newton on Earth, would only weigh 38 Newton on
Mercury.
Who is this planet named after?
In Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger of the gods. He wore a hat and
sandals with wings on them, allowing him to travel around the world very quickly. The
planet Mercury was named after him because it moves around the Sun faster than
any other planet in the Solar System. It moves nearly 48 km every second!
A planet is a large space object which revolves around a star. It also reflects that
star's light. Eight planets have been discovered in our solar system. Mercury, Venus,
Earth, and Mars are the planets closest to the Sun. They are called the inner planets.
The inner planets are made up mostly of rock. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are large balls of gases
with rings around them. All eight planets travel around the Sun in a different orbit. In
its orbit, there are not many other objects like the planet.
Dwarf planets are objects that are similar to planets except that they orbit the Sun in
areas where there are many similar objects.
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. Mercury is about the same size as
our Moon. It is very close to the Sun. Mercury travels around the Sun faster than any
other planet. That is how it got its name. It was named after Mercury, the swift
messenger of the gods in ancient Roman mythology. Mercury can only be seen from
Earth just before sunrise or just after sunset, but not in the middle of the night. That is
because Mercury always appears near the Sun when viewed from Earth. Mercury has
a very thin atmosphere. Humans would not be able to live there. The surface of
Mercury has holes in it where objects such as meteorites and asteroids crashed into
it.
DOWNLOAD MERCURY PRINTABLE
made from rock like Earth. It does not have a gas atmosphere, so there is no
weather. For a long time, only one spacecraft, Mariner 10, had visited Mercury. In
January 2008, the MESSENGER spacecraft went by Mercury. It will go by Mercury two
more times before starting to go around the planet in 2011.
How Big Is Mercury?
Mercury is 4879 km across. Mercury's diameter is just less than half the diameter of
the Earth. It is the smallest planet in the Solar System. Only dwarf planets like Pluto
are smaller. Mercury's small size and its closeness to the Sun sometimes make it
difficult to see without a telescope or binoculars. The best time to spot Mercury in the
sky is just after the sun goes down at night or shortly before it rises in the morning.
What is Mercury's surface like?
Mercury has craters like those on the Earth's moon. The largest crater on Mercury is
the Caloris Basin. It is about 1300 km wide. It was created by a huge asteroid hitting
Mercury. The asteroid was probably 100 km wide, but it hit Mercury's surface so hard
that it made a much bigger hole.
The surface also has big cliffs called scarps. They were made long ago when
Mercury cooled down. It shrank, causing the surface to get wrinkled in some places.
This wrinkling created the scarps.
There may also be ice on the top and bottom of Mercury. Like the Earth, these areas
(called poles) don't get much warmth from the Sun. Any ice there won't melt.
It is very hot during the day (over 400°C) because Mercury is so close to the Sun. At
night it is very cold because Mercury loses almost all its heat since there is almost
no atmosphere to keep the warmth there. The temperature can fall to almost -175°C.
DID YOU KNOW?
- The temperature on Mercury gets so hot it could melt a tin pan.
- Mercury can be seen by people on earth just before sunrise or just after
sunset on some clear nights. - Mercury orbits around the Sun faster than any other planet.
- Mercury's surface temperature can vary from -180°C (-300°F) to 430°C (800°
F). On Earth, the hottest temperature was recorded at 58°C (136°F). - There may be ice on the top and bottom of Mercury
How long is a day on this planet?
Mercury rotates (spins around) much more slowly than the Earth. It takes Mercury 58
days to spin once. Because Mercury orbits the sun very quickly, a day on Mercury
lasts longer than 58 days. If you were standing on Mercury, at the equator and timed
how long it took the sun to go from directly overhead to sunset to sunrise and then
rise directly overhead again, it would take 176 Earth days. These long days and
nights allow for the temperatures to rise as high, and fall as low, as they do.
How long is a year on Mercury?
Mercury has the shortest year in the Solar System. It is about 88 Earth days long.
It used to be believed that the same side of Mercury always faced the Sun. In order for
this to be true, Mercury would have to take the same amount of time to rotate (spin
around) as it does to circle the sun. Through careful observation we now know that
Mercury's rotation is somewhat faster than its orbit. Because of the way the orbit and
rotation work together, on Mercury, a day is actually almost twice as long as a year.
What is Mercury made of?
The centre of Mercury is made of iron in partly-molten (liquid) form. We know that it is
iron at the centre because the planet generates a magnetic field. It contains more
iron for its size than any other planet in the Solar System. The rest of Mercury, its thick
crust, is made of a special type of rock called silicate rocks. There are craters near
the poles that are constantly in shadow. Some of these craters contain ice. There is a
huge crater on Mercury called Caloris Basin. It was formed when a comet hit the
planet and lava or molten rock filled the impact crater. The round wall of this crater is
over 2km tall.
How much would Mercury's gravity pull on me?
If you were on Mercury, it would pull you down less than half (38%) as much as the
Earth. An item that weighs 100 Newton on Earth, would only weigh 38 Newton on
Mercury.
Who is this planet named after?
In Roman mythology, Mercury was the messenger of the gods. He wore a hat and
sandals with wings on them, allowing him to travel around the world very quickly. The
planet Mercury was named after him because it moves around the Sun faster than
any other planet in the Solar System. It moves nearly 48 km every second!
A planet is a large space object which revolves around a star. It also reflects that
star's light. Eight planets have been discovered in our solar system. Mercury, Venus,
Earth, and Mars are the planets closest to the Sun. They are called the inner planets.
The inner planets are made up mostly of rock. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, and Neptune. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are large balls of gases
with rings around them. All eight planets travel around the Sun in a different orbit. In
its orbit, there are not many other objects like the planet.
Dwarf planets are objects that are similar to planets except that they orbit the Sun in
areas where there are many similar objects.
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. Mercury is about the same size as
our Moon. It is very close to the Sun. Mercury travels around the Sun faster than any
other planet. That is how it got its name. It was named after Mercury, the swift
messenger of the gods in ancient Roman mythology. Mercury can only be seen from
Earth just before sunrise or just after sunset, but not in the middle of the night. That is
because Mercury always appears near the Sun when viewed from Earth. Mercury has
a very thin atmosphere. Humans would not be able to live there. The surface of
Mercury has holes in it where objects such as meteorites and asteroids crashed into
it.
DOWNLOAD MERCURY PRINTABLE
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About
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Africa
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Bible
Colour & Activity
Contact
Crafts
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Calendar
Dolch Words
Freebies
Gallery
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Kids Fun Pages
Language
Links
Maths
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WAHM
| Our Solar System Mercury |
Our Solar System
This comprehensive book
contains information on all
major planets, major star
constellations, space
exploration and our solar
system. Included are fact
sheets, fast facts,
wordsearches, crossword
puzzles, Q's & A's, Student
Activity Sheets,
Teacher/parent resources
and tips, lesson plans and
crafts and activities. Preview
entire book 208 pages
This comprehensive book
contains information on all
major planets, major star
constellations, space
exploration and our solar
system. Included are fact
sheets, fast facts,
wordsearches, crossword
puzzles, Q's & A's, Student
Activity Sheets,
Teacher/parent resources
and tips, lesson plans and
crafts and activities. Preview
entire book 208 pages
The Chinese lunar calendar
dates back to the second
millennium BC. The
Chinese calendar is
cyclical. Each cycle is
made up of 12 years; after
the 12th year, the cycle is
repeated. This book
contains comprehensive
teacher/parent resources,
lesson plans and activities
relating both to the Chinese
Zodiac and to the Chinese
New Year. A Fun interactive
learning experience for Gr
K-5 with a particular focus
on adjectives,
characteristics and traits.
Preview the entire book here
dates back to the second
millennium BC. The
Chinese calendar is
cyclical. Each cycle is
made up of 12 years; after
the 12th year, the cycle is
repeated. This book
contains comprehensive
teacher/parent resources,
lesson plans and activities
relating both to the Chinese
Zodiac and to the Chinese
New Year. A Fun interactive
learning experience for Gr
K-5 with a particular focus
on adjectives,
characteristics and traits.
Preview the entire book here