Multiple choice general knowledge science & technology

On Mercury a day (the time it takes for it to spin round once) is ___ Earth-days.

  1. 56

  2. 57

  3. 58

  4. 59
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Mercury's rotational period (sidereal day) is approximately 58.6 Earth days. This means Mercury takes about 59 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis. Due to its 3:2 spin-orbit resonance with the Sun, a Mercury solar day (sunrise to sunrise) lasts about 176 Earth days.

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