EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -It speeds around the Sun every 88 days, traveling through space at nearly 29 miles (47 kilometers) per second, faster than any other planet. Mercury spins slowly on its axis and completes one rotation every 59 Earth days.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mercury is an extreme planet in several respects. Because of its nearness to the Sun-its average orbital distance is 58 million km (36 million miles)-it has the shortest year (a revolution period of 88 days) and receives the most intense solar radiation of all the planets.

Detailed explanation-3: -The closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it travels. Since Mercury is the fastest planet and has the shortest distance to travel around the Sun, it has the shortest year of all the planets in our solar system – 88 days.

Detailed explanation-4: -Mercury rotates slowly. One rotation takes nearly 59 Earth days to complete. However due to an orbital-rotational resonance ratio of 3:2, a fictitious observer on Mercury would see that a solar day from noon to noon would take about 176 Earth days to complete.

Detailed explanation-5: -Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun with an average distance of 0.387 AU or 5.79 x 107 km. It takes 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun, and rotates very slowly at a rate of 1 rotation every 58.7 Earth days.