Mercury Fact Sheet

Mercury/Earth Comparison

Bulk parameters

Ratio
Mercury Earth (Mercury/Earth)
Mass (1024 kg) 0.33011 5.9724 0.0553
Volume (1010 km3) 6.083 108.321 0.0562
Equatorial radius (km) 2439.7 6378.1 0.383
Polar radius (km) 2439.7 6356.8 0.384
Volumetric mean radius (km) 2439.7 6371.0 0.383
Ellipticity (Flattening) 0.0000 0.00335 0.000
Mean density (kg/m3) 5427 5514 0.984
Surface gravity (eq.) (m/s2) 3.70 9.80 0.378
Surface acceleration (eq.) (m/s2) 3.70 9.78 0.378
Escape velocity (km/s) 4.3 11.2 0.384
GM (x 106 km3/s2) 0.022032 0.39860 0.0553
Bond albedo 0.068 0.306 0.222
Geometric albedo 0.142 0.434 0.327
V-band magnitude V(1,0) -0.613 -3.99 -
Solar irradiance (W/m2) 9082.7 1361.0 6.674
Black-body temperature (K) 439.6 254.0 1.731
Topographic range (km) 7 20 0.350
Moment of inertia (I/MR2) 0.35 0.3308 1.058
J2 (x 10-6) 50.3 1082.63 0.055
Number of natural satellites 0 1
Planetary ring system No No

Orbital parameters

Ratio
Mercury Earth (Mercury/Earth)
Semimajor axis (106 km) 57.909 149.596 0.387
Sidereal orbit period (days) 87.969 365.256 0.241
Tropical orbit period (days) 87.968 365.242 0.241
Perihelion (106 km) 46.002 147.092 0.313
Aphelion (106 km) 69.817 152.099 0.459
Synodic period (days) 115.88 - -
Mean orbital velocity (km/s) 47.36 29.78 1.590
Max. orbital velocity (km/s) 58.98 30.29 1.947
Min. orbital velocity (km/s) 38.86 29.29 1.327
Orbit inclination (deg) 7.005 0.000 -
Orbit eccentricity 0.2056 0.0167 12.311
Sidereal rotation period (hrs) 1407.6 23.9345 58.785
Length of day (hrs) 4222.6 24.0000 175.942
Obliquity to orbit (deg) 0.034 23.44 0.001
Inclination of equator (deg) 0.034 23.44 0.001

Mercury Observational Parameters

Discoverer: Unknown
Discovery Date: Prehistoric

Distance from Earth

Minimum (106 km) 77.3
Maximum (106 km) 221.9
Apparent diameter from Earth
Maximum (seconds of arc) 13.
Minimum (seconds of arc) 4.5
Maximum visual magnitude -2.43
Mean values at inferior conjunction with Earth
Distance from Earth (106 km) 91.70
Apparent diameter (seconds of arc) 11.0

Mercury Mean Orbital Elements (J2000)

Semimajor axis (AU) 0.38709893

Orbital eccentricity 0.20563069
Orbital inclination (deg) 7.00487
Longitude of ascending node (deg) 48.33167
Longitude of perihelion (deg) 77.45645
Mean Longitude (deg) 252.25084

North Pole of Rotation

Right Ascension: 281.010 - 0.033T

Declination : 61.414 - 0.005T
Reference Date : 12:00 UT 1 Jan 2000 (JD 2451545.0)
T = Julian centuries from reference date

Mercury Magnetosphere

MESSENGER Model 2010

Dipole field strength: 0.002 Gauss-Rh3

Dipole tilt to rotational axis: 0.0 degrees
Dipole Offset: 0.17 Rh
Surface (1 Rh) field strength: 0.0025 - 0.007 Gauss

Rh denotes Mercurian model radius, here defined to be 2,440 km

Mercury Atmosphere (Exosphere)

Surface pressure: <~5 x 10-15 bar (0.005 picobar)

Average temperature: 440 K (167 C) (590-725 K, sunward side)
Total mass of atmosphere: <~10000 kg

Atmospheric composition (Column abundances in 106 per cm2):

Sodium 12,000-200,000; Magnesium 100,000; Oxygen <40,000; Hydrogen 5000, Potassium 800-1300,
Calcium 300-1000; Iron <300; Aluminum 15; and
possible trace amounts of Argon (Ar), Carbon Dioxide (CO2),
Water (H2O), Nitrogen (N2), Xenon (Xe), Krypton (Kr),
Neon (Ne), Helium (He)

(The atmosphere of Mercury is a surface bounded exosphere, essentially a vacuum.

Values for some species can vary with local time or location, these are given as ranges.)
 Notes on the factsheets - definitions of parameters, units, notes on sub- and superscripts, etc.

Planetary Fact Table - metric units

Planetary Fact Table - U.S. units
Planetary Fact Table - Earth ratio

Mercury Home Page

Directory to other Planetary Fact Sheets

Author/Curator:
Dr. David R. Williams, dave.williams@nasa.gov
NSSDCA, Mail Code 690.1
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
+1-301-286-1258

NASA Official: Ed Grayzeck, edwin.j.grayzeck@nasa.gov

Last Updated: 25 November 2020, DRW