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Mercury, the first planet in our solar system,
is a cratered world. It is the smallest of the inner planets, perhaps because the
heat of the nearby Sun as Mercury formed, about 4.6 billion years ago, prevented
most of the gases present in the vicinity from becoming part of the protoplanet.
Mercury's surface is very hot, sometimes reaching extremes of more than 470 degrees C
(more than 1,380 degrees F)--especially at two "hot spots" opposite one another on the
equator. This planet takes its name from Mercury, the messenger god of the Romans.
Known as Hermes by the Greeks,
he was also the god of merchants and traders. An adjective taken from Mercury is
"mercurial", meaning swift, quirky, and clever, much like the god himself.
Also called Mercury is the only liquid metallic element.
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Sun
