I have been doing some research on the 8 planets and the 1 dwarf planet and here is what I have found out about the our solar system. I will be making a report oon each planet.
Mercury Mercury is the planet nearest the sun. It has a diameter of 3,032 miles (4,879 kilometers), about two-fifths of Earth's diameter. Mercury orbits the sun at an average distance of about 36 million miles (58 million kilometers), compared with about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) for Earth.
Because of Mercury's size and nearness to the brightly shining sun, the planet is often hard to see from the Earth without a telescope. At certain times of the year, Mercury can be seen low in the western sky just after sunset. At other times, it can be seen low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
Mercury travels around the sun in an elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit. The planet is about 28,580,000 miles (46,000,000 kilometers) from the sun at its closest point, and about 43,380,000 miles (69,820,000 kilometers) from the sun at its farthest point. Mercury is about 48,000,000 miles (77,300,000 kilometers) from Earth at its closest approach.
Mercury moves around the sun faster than any other planet. The ancient Romans named it Mercury in honor of the swift messenger of their gods. Mercury travels about 30 miles (48 kilometers) per second, and goes around the sun once every 88 Earth days. The Earth goes around the sun once every 365 days, or one year.
As Mercury moves around the sun, it rotates on its axis, an imaginary line that runs through its center. The planet rotates once about every 59 Earth days -- a rotation slower than that of any other planet except Venus. As a result of the planet's slow rotation on its axis and rapid movement around the sun, a day on Mercury -- that is, the interval between one sunrise and the next -- lasts 176 Earth days.
Until the mid-1960's, astronomers believed that Mercury rotated once every 88 Earth days, the same time the planet takes to go around the sun. If Mercury did this, one side of the planet would always face the sun, and the other side would always be dark. However, radar studies conducted in 1965 showed that the planet rotates once in about 59 days.
When viewed through a telescope, Mercury can be seen going through "changes" in shape and size. These apparent changes are called phases, and resemble those of the moon. They result from different parts of Mercury's sunlit side being visible from the Earth at different times.
As Mercury and the Earth travel around the sun, Mercury can be seen near the other side of the sun about every 116 days. At this point, almost all its sunlit area is visible from the Earth. It looks like a bright, round spot with almost no visible marks. As Mercury moves around the sun toward the Earth, less and less of its sunlit area can be seen. After about 36 days, only half its surface is visible. After another 22 days, it nears the same side of the sun as the Earth, and only a thin sunlit area is visible. The amount of sunlit area that can be seen increases gradually after Mercury passes in front of the sun and begins moving away from the Earth.
When Mercury is on the same side of the sun as the Earth is, its dark side faces the Earth. The planet is usually not visible at this point because Mercury and the Earth orbit the sun at different angles. As a result, Mercury does not always pass directly between the Earth and the sun. Sometimes Mercury is directly between the Earth and the sun. When this occurs, every 3 to 13 years, the planet is in transit and can be seen as a black spot against the sun
If you plagiarized this well i oughta.... But if you didn't, i say give yourself i big pat on the back for typing that report up. Is this the picture you were trying to show to us cheeseman298?
Oh, And at the bottom of the article it even had this to help you...
How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: Zuber, Maria T. "Mercury." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. (http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar356240.)
