Mercury Will Leave You Mesmerized!

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury is one hot place!

The average temperature is 801 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and -279 degrees Fahrenheit at night. YIKES! That is a 1,000-degree difference!

Mercury is an interesting planet because it differs from Earth. One major difference is that it is hotter during the day and MUCH colder at night. Humans could not live on Mercury for many reasons.

Learning about the differences between Mercury and Earth will help you understand the first planet in the solar system. Here is a picture that compares the two planets side-by-side for size.

Mercury is the first planet in a series of eight in the Milky Way solar system. There are big differences between Mercury and Earth.

• Mercury is about 2/5 the size of Earth.
• Mercury's temperature is eight times the temperature of Earth, but it is not the hottest planet!
• One day on Mercury is 58 Earth days.
• One year on Mercury is 88 Earth days.
• Mercury has no moons, and Earth has one.
• There is no weather on Mercury.
• You can jump three times higher on Mercury than on Earth because of the lack of gravity.
• Mercury is about the same size as the Earth's moon.

Wow! Mercury is very far from Earth. Although it has been observed by two spacecraft (as of 2017), we don't know a lot about the planet. It is so close to the sun that it is tough to get close to it and observe it.

Here are some more interesting facts about Mercury.

• Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system.
• Mercury is made of rock and heavy metals.
• Mercury is the most cratered planet because many asteroids and comets have hit it, and it does not repair itself

.

• Mercury is named for the Roman messenger to the gods.
• If you were to stand on Mercury during the day, the sky would look black, not blue like on Earth.
• Mercury has wrinkles! It is so old, it has wrinkles, just like a pug puppy!

No, it's because the planet's iron core cooled and contracted and created large wrinkles on the surface.

These wrinkles are called Lobate Scarps, and they can be as big as a mile high and hundreds of miles long.

It's time for a little compare and contrast! In the Got It? section, create a Venn Diagram of the similarities and differences between Mercury and Earth.