SIZE IN SPACE

planet · Object guide

How big is Mercury?

A planet on the scale of a moon.

One scale. Two worlds.True diameter scale
Mercury and Earth to scaleTheir diameters differ by a factor of 2.6117. Illustrations show body diameter, not separation in space.

Body diameters to scale. Positions and surface artwork are illustrative; Saturn’s rings are excluded.

A change of perspective

2.6117× the diameter. See how the two worlds measure up.

Diameter is a distance across an object. Volume grows with the cube of that distance.

Choose a size to bring this comparison down to Earth.

Mercury: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Earth: Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

How we measure size →
Mean diameter

4,878.8 km

Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Mercury makes a useful challenge to our intuition: the label “planet” does not tell you how big something must be. Compare it with Ganymede and watch the moon become the larger disk.

Try a different neighbour

Choose Earth to give Mercury a familiar reference. Then switch to the Moon. The comparison concerns physical diameter only; it does not compare mass, surface gravity, or the distances between these worlds.

Measurement source

Planetary Physical Parameters — NASA JPL. Twice the source mean radius; body diameter only, excluding rings.

Source references