Mercury

Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to the Sun. Its heavily cratered surface, large iron-rich core, and extreme temperature swings distinguish it from the other planets.

Mercury's orbit: Mercury follows an eccentric orbit around the Sun, completing one revolution in about 88 Earth days. Its orbital eccentricity and proximity to the Sun produce unusual resonances and strong relativistic effects.
Mariner 10: Mariner 10 was a NASA spacecraft that flew past Mercury three times in 1974 and 1975. It returned the first close-up images and discovered Mercury’s magnetic field.
Venus: Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the hottest planet in the Solar System. Though farther from the Sun, its atmosphere makes it hotter than Mercury.
Solar System formation: Solar System formation is the process by which the Sun and its orbiting bodies developed from a collapsing cloud of gas and dust. Mercury’s composition records conditions in the inner protoplanetary disk.
Perihelion precession of Mercury: Perihelion precession is the gradual rotation of an orbit’s closest-approach direction around its central body. Mercury’s measured precession provided a prominent test of general relativity.
Mercury's rotation: Mercury rotates once every about 59 Earth days and is locked with its orbit in a 3:2 spin–orbit resonance. The resonance makes one solar day last about 176 Earth days.
MESSENGER: MESSENGER was a NASA spacecraft that orbited Mercury from 2011 to 2015. Its global mapping and measurements revealed surface chemistry, polar ice, and interior structure.
Earth: Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known world with persistent surface life. Earth’s active atmosphere and oceans contrast with Mercury’s airless, cratered surface.
Giant impact hypothesis: The giant impact hypothesis proposes that a large collision can strip material from a young planet or moon-forming body. A major impact is one proposed explanation for Mercury’s unusually large metallic core.
Solar wind: The solar wind is a stream of charged particles flowing outward from the Sun. Its interaction with Mercury’s magnetic field and surface helps shape the exosphere.

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