Mercury (planet)

Whoosh. I love to zip and zoom around the big, bright Sun. It feels so warm and cozy when I get close. I am the speediest little world, twirling through space like a fast race car. I play a game of tag with the sunshine all day long. Can you guess my name? I am the planet Mercury. It is so nice to meet you.

I was born a very, very long time ago, when the whole solar system was just a baby. That was about 4.5 billion years in the past. Since I am so close to the Sun, one side of me gets super-duper hot. Sizzle. But the side turned away from the Sun gets very, very cold. Brrr. I travel around the Sun faster than any of my planet friends. My year is super short. While you wait a whole year for your birthday, I have a new year very quickly.

For a long time, I was all alone out here. Then one day, I got some special visitors. They were friendly robots who came to say hello. The first one was named Mariner 10. It flew by me on March 29th, 1974 and took my picture. Click. It was so exciting. Many years later, another robot friend came. Its name was MESSENGER, and it arrived on March 18th, 2011. It stayed with me for a long time, flying all around me to learn my secrets. I loved having company.

Even though my robot friends are gone, I am never truly alone. I know that you are looking up at the sky, wondering about me and my planet friends. Keep looking up at the twinkly stars and the big round moon. There is so much to see and learn about our amazing home in space. Exploring is the best adventure, and it helps us all learn together. Maybe one day you will send a new friend to visit me.