One of the enduring enigmas of Mercury is why such a small planet, roughly 38 percent of Earth’s diameter, is so dense. Thanks to Mariner 10’s 1974–5 flybys of the innermost world and the orbiting ...
Mercury, the nearest planet, is the smallest by diameter, mass and volume of the eight official planets. It revolves around the Sun at an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million km), taking ...