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 Impossible Planet Geographic Daily News" article, the author mentioned this episode while discussing planets that surround black holes. The Impossible Planet "The Impossible Planet" is the eighth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who", which was first broadcast on BBC One on 3 June 2006. It is the first part of a two-part story. The second part, "The Satan Pit", was broadcast on 10 June. The episode is set on Krop Tor, a planet orbiting a black hole. In the episode, a human expedition group drilling on the planet is terrorised by a creature calling