Mercury

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Mercury is the planet closest to our Sun, and it is the smallest planet. The diameter of Mercury is about 3,031 miles.

Mercury has many craters on its rocky surface. The weather on Mercury varies from extremely hot to extremely cold. Scientists think that there may be volcanic activity on Mercury. The temperature on the side of the planet facing the Sun is around 698 degrees Fahrenheit. At the other extreme, the temperature on the side away from the Sun can be less than -238 degrees Fahrenheit. Ice has been found at Mercury's north pole!

Mercury races around the Sun faster than any other planet. A Mercurial year (the time it takes for the planet to go once around the Sun) is only 88 days, while our year on Earth is 365 days. Mercury does not spin as fast as Earth, though, so a Mercurian day (the time it takes a planet to rotate once) is 59 Earth days

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