FACTS ABOUT MERCURY

NASA’s MESSENGER mission stayed in orbit around Mercury from March 2011 to April 2015 before crashing into the surface of the planet

On Mercury’s nightside at the right time of year, there’s a faint orange glow from the sodium scattered by sunlight

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One day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days, while a year on Mercury lasts just 88 Earth days

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Mercury is one of two planets in the Solar System with no moons

Mercury’s atmosphere is more comparable to a ‘thin exosphere’ as it’s comprised mostly of atoms ejected from the surface due to the solar wind and meteoroid impacts

There was likely volcanism on Mercury – there are areas that appear to have been flooded with lava