With its cheerful face and surface covered in interesting marks, meet Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun! It is also the smallest of the eight planets in our Solar System. Mercury has a diameter of about 4,880 kilometers (3,030 miles), compared with nearly 12,750 kilometers (7,920 miles) for Earth. Despite being so close to our star, Mercury is not the hottest planet. That record belongs to Venus!

Mercury is a rocky planet with a surface that looks somewhat like the Moon. It is covered with countless craters created by asteroid and comet impacts over billions of years. The planet has almost no atmosphere capable of trapping heat, so temperatures vary dramatically. In areas facing the Sun, they can rise above 400°C (750°F), while nighttime temperatures can fall below -170°C (-275°F).

Mercury also completes the fastest journey around the Sun of any planet: one Mercury year lasts only 88 Earth days. However, the planet rotates very slowly on its axis. From one sunrise to the next at the same location, about 176 Earth days pass!

For this Mercury Coloring Page, try using gray, beige or light brown, with different shades to highlight its many craters. The small shapes scattered across its surface also give you plenty of opportunities to add brighter, more imaginative colors if you prefer a less realistic version.

Mercury is closer to the Sun than Venus, the hottest planet. It is a great reminder that being closest to our star does not necessarily mean being the hottest! Explore its craters, choose your colors and complete your planetary adventure with this Printable Coloring Page of a small world with extreme temperatures!