Mercury (planet) Mercury (planet) Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the Solar System. Its orbital period around the Sun of 87.97 days is the shortest of all the planets in the Solar System. It is named after the Roman deity Mercury, the messenger of the gods. Like Venus, Mercury orbits the Sun within Earth's orbit as an "inferior planet", and never exceeds 28° away from the Sun. When viewed from Earth, this proximity to the Sun means the planet can only be seen near the western or eastern horizon during the early evening or early morning. At this time it
The Pirate Planet The Pirate Planet The Pirate Planet is the second serial of the 16th season in the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who", which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second serial of the "Key to Time" story arc. It was written by Douglas Adams, and featured some of his humour. In the serial, the tyrant Queen Xanxia (Rosalind Lloyd) and the Captain (Bruce Purchase) use the hollow planet Zanak as a spaceship that surrounds smaller planets, including Calufrax, the second segment of the powerful Key to