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In Roman mythology Mercury is the god of commerce, travel and thievery. Mercury is also known as Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, in Greek mythology. The planet probably received this name because it moves so quickly across the sky. |
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This is the
symbol for Mercury: |
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Mercury is a small, rocky planet - much like our Moon. It is covered with craters and has changed very little from when it was first formed. |
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One of Mercury's largest features is called the Caloris Basin. It is about 1300 km across! It was probably created by a very large crash early in the history of the solar system. |
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Look for Mercury! You can see Mercury with a pair of binoculars or even the naked eye. Because it is always very near the Sun, Mercury may be hard to see in early evening skies. |
