Outline of Mercury (planet)

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Mercury:

Mercury – smallest and innermost planet in the Solar System. Its orbital period (about 88 Earth days) is less than any other planet in the Solar System. Seen from Earth, it appears to move around its orbit in about 116 days. It has no known natural satellites. It is named after the Roman deity Mercury, the messenger to the gods.

Classification of Mercury

Astronomical object
- Gravitationally rounded object
  - Planet
    - Planet of the Solar System
      - Inferior planet
      - Inner planet
    - Terrestrial planet

Location of Mercury

Milky Way Galaxy – barred spiral galaxy
- Orion Arm – a spiral arm of the Milky Way
  - Solar System – the Sun and the objects that orbit it, including 8 planets, the planet closest to the Sun being Mercury
    - Mercury's orbit

Movement of Mercury

Mercury's orbit and rotation
Transit of Mercury

Features of Mercury

Mercury's magnetic field
Atmosphere of Mercury
Mercury's extraterrestrial sky
Geology of Mercury
- Geological features on Mercury
  - Craters on Mercury
    - Ghost craters on Mercury
  - Inter-crater plains on Mercury
Albedo features on Mercury
Quadrangles on Mercury

Natural satellites of Mercury

Hypothetical moon of Mercury

History of Mercury

History of Mercury –

Pre-Tolstojan –
Tests of general relativity –
Mercury-crossing minor planets –

Exploration of Mercury

Exploration of Mercury –

Flyby missions to explore Mercury

Mariner 10 –

Direct missions to explore Mercury

MESSENGER –

Future of Mercury exploration

Proposed missions to explore Mercury

BepiColombo
Mercury-P
Colonization of Mercury

Mercury in popular culture

Mercury in fiction

References

External links

Mariner 10 Atlas of Mercury – NASA
Mercury nomenclature and map with feature names from the USGS planetary nomenclature page
MESSENGER Mission web site
Mercury QuickMap from MESSENGER web site
'BepiColombo', ESA's Mercury Mission 5 June 2013

Mercury Structure