Yes, in fact it looks almost 2 1/2 times bigger. This is because Mercury is much closer to the sun than Earth — Mercury's orbit is about 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) from the sun, whereas Earth's is 93 million miles (150 million kilometers). This closer distance also changes the length of a year, or a complete orbit of the sun, on Mercury; one year is equivalent to just 88 days on Earth.
More Mercury Facts:
- Earth completes a full rotation on its axis every 24 hours. Mercury completes one rotation in the equivalent of about 176 Earth days, making for very long days and nights.
- Mercury is about two-fifths the size of Earth, with a diameter of just 3,032 miles (4,879 kilometers) compared to the Earth's girth of 7,917 miles (12,742 kilometers). Its volume also is only 5% of the Earth's — if Earth were hollow, 20 Mercury planets would fit inside, with room to spare.
- The gravity on Mercury is about 38% of that on Earth.
- The Ancient Romans named the planet after their speedy messenger of the gods, Mercury, because of how fast it orbits the Sun.
