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Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system with a circumference of 9,525 miles. Its surface area is less than 15% of Earth’s and its mass is 5.5% of Earth’s. Mercury orbits the sun every 88 days and was known to the ancients. Venus is hotter due to its thick atmosphere.
Mercury, the smallest planet in Earth’s solar system, has a circumference of 9,525 miles (15,329 km), less than the distance between Denver, Colorado, USA, and Pretoria, South Africa. The contrast between the sizes of Earth and Mercury is striking: Mercury’s surface area is 28,879,000 square miles (74,797,000 km2), which is less than 15% of the land area. Its mass is equivalent to 5.5% of the Earth’s mass.
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Mercury orbits the sun once every 88 days.
There is no established discovery date for Mercury because it was “known to the ancients,” according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Although Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, Venus’ surface is much hotter. This is due to Venus’ thick, dense atmosphere.