28
Health & Science3h 21m ago

A single solar day on Mercury, from one sunrise to the next, lasts 176 Earth days, which is just over two full Mercury years.

Mercury

Who
NASA, Gordon Pettengill, Rolf Dyce, Giuseppe Colombo
What
A single solar day on Mercury, from one sunrise to the next, lasts 176 Earth days, which is just over two full Mercury years.
When
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:00:03 GMT · 3h 21m ago
Where
Mercury ·
Why
This phenomenon is due to Mercury's slow spin locked to its fast orbit in a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance, meaning the planet turns three times on its axis for every two trips around the Sun.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This extended solar day results in extreme temperature swings on Mercury's surface, reaching 800°F (430°C) during the day and dropping to -290°F (-180°C) at night, as each patch of ground is exposed to the Sun for weeks at a time.

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