Mercury has the shortest and fastest orbit around the Sun and experiences dramatic temperature changes as it rotates. It is a world of extremes. Explore facts about our solar system's fastest planet.

Mercury – named after the Roman god Mercury, the messenger to the gods – is the smallest and closest to the Sun of the eight planets in the Solar System, with an orbital period of about 88 ...

Much closer to the horizon and a distinct reddish color, the planet Mercury isn’t on most people’s observing lists. In fact, a professional astronomer last year told me it was impossible to ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft may have only made rapid flybys of Mercury, but it is already helping to unravel mysteries surrounding the closest planet to the sun. In 2026, a European Space Agency ...

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Jamie Carter is an award-winning reporter who covers the night sky. When is Mercury retrograde? It starts today, and if you believe ...

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is full of unsolved mysteries. Using data from NASA’s MESSENGER mission, scientists have uncovered stunning details about its surface, including ray ...