At only 58 million km, Mercury is closest of the planets to the
sun, but few skywatchers can boast of spotting this elusive planet on more than
isolated occasions.
Mercury
is the closest planet to the Sun and is less than half the size of Earth.
It has no moons, no atmosphere, and since it is so close to the Sun it is
an extremely hot planet. The typical midday temperature on Mercury is over
750 degrees. Mercury is only visible briefly after sunset or before
sunrise depending on the time of year. Mercury can be seen to go through
phases similar to Venus but even with the largest telescope available, no
surface detail can be revealed. Mariner 10 however took photos of the
planet that show craters that are similar to our Moon. It is thought that
its interior was once molten from lava that once flooded the surface.
The Pages of The Gray Wizard
Mercury
is the closest planet to the Sun and is less than half the size of Earth.
It has no moons, no atmosphere, and since it is so close to the Sun it is
an extremely hot planet. The typical midday temperature on Mercury is over
750 degrees. Mercury is only visible briefly after sunset or before
sunrise depending on the time of year. Mercury can be seen to go through
phases similar to Venus but even with the largest telescope available, no
surface detail can be revealed. Mariner 10 however took photos of the
planet that show craters that are similar to our Moon. It is thought that
its interior was once molten from lava that once flooded the surface. 
