Mercury: The Swift Planet
Mercury: The Swift Planet
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered about the planets in our solar system? One fascinating planet is Mercury. It's not just any planet; it's the closest one to the Sun! Let's explore some cool facts about Mercury.
A Speedy Traveler
Mercury is known for its speed. It races around the Sun faster than any other planet. A year on Mercury (the time it takes to orbit the Sun) is only 88 Earth days. That's much shorter than our 365-day year! Imagine celebrating your birthday more than four times as often.
Scorching Hot and Freezing Cold
Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, it gets incredibly hot. During the day, temperatures can soar to 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius). That's hot enough to melt some metals! But here's a surprise: At night, Mercury gets extremely cold, dropping to -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-180 degrees Celsius). That's because Mercury has almost no atmosphere to trap heat like Earth does.
A Wrinkled Planet
- Orbit:
- To travel around another object in space.
- Atmosphere:
- The layer of gases surrounding a planet.
- Craters:
- Large holes on the surface of a planet or moon, caused by impacts.
- fascinating:
- Extremely interesting or capable of holding your attention.
- soar:
- To quickly rise or increase to a very high level.
- glimpse:
- A very quick or brief look at something.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is Mercury known for regarding its speed?
- 2How long is a year on Mercury compared to Earth?
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About this informational passage for Upper Elementary
“Mercury: The Swift Planet” is a informational reading passage about Mercury planet, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (386 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.