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
Under the Green Star Under the Green Star Under the Green Star is a science fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter. Published by DAW Books in 1972, it is the first novel in his Green Star Series. The story (and the entire series) is told from the point of an unnamed first-person narrator who is 30 years old, very wealthy but crippled, and who knows some eastern arts including soul casting. One night the narrator sees a green star in the night sky, and casts his soul towards it. He finds a cloud-covered planet which revolves around it and sees that its surface