MERCURY: 
Planet Closest to the Sun 

The temperature on Mercury is so hot that it could melt a tin pan. 
Mercury is the second smallest planet in the solar system. Only Pluto is smaller. 
Mercury is about the same size as our Moon. 
It is very close to the Sun. 
Mercury travels around the Sun faster than any other planet. 
It was named after Mercury, the swift messenger of the Roman gods.
Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun.  that means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!
Mercury can only be seen from Earth just before sunrise or just after sunset, but not in the middle of the night, because it always appears near the Sun. 
Mercury has a very thin atmosphere. 
The surface of Mercury has holes in it where objects such as meteorites and asteroids crashed into it.
to the Solar System page