Because of the weak atmosphere, Mercury has a very wide range of temperatures. The temperatures ranges from -270 degrees Fahrenheit to 800 degrees Fahrenheit. This large range in surface temperature is possible because Mercury is so close to the Sun (a year is only 88 Earth days long) and does not have sufficient atmosphere present to moderate the range in surface temperature (www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mercury/Atmosphere/atmosphere.html).
Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system, is a little bigger than the Earth's Moon. The surfaceof the planet is covered with craters, like the Moon, but temperatures there can reach over 800oF because Mercury is so close to the Sun and rotates so slowly. Scientists believe that the interior structure of Mercury includes a metallic core, an intermediate rocky layer, and a thin brittle crust. The composition of Mercury is probably high in iron, although surface features indicate that volcanic activity once existed at the surface. There is little evidence of motions near the surface of the planet now, although at earlier times during Mercury's evolution the surface was much more active. We know relatively little about Mercury, compared to most of the other planets, because it is relatively difficult to see and only one spacecraft has studied the planet (www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mercury/Interior_Surface/Overview.html).
Mercury is the only inner planet other than the Earth that has a significant magnetic field (220 nT). This field, along with the planet's high density and small size relative to the Earth, indicates that it probably has a molten iron core. The magnetic field has two poles, and is tilted in the same direction as Mercury's axis. Mariner 10 observed a shock wave called a "bow shock" in front of the planet, where the planet's magnetic field meets the solar wind. .
Missions to Mercury.
Mercury was visited by NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1973 and 1974.