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, in the US 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 Earth's surface area. Its mass is equivalent to 5.5% of the Earth's mass.
More about Mercury:
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 United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Although Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, Venus' surface is much hotter. This is because of Venus' thick, dense atmosphere.
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