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PlaidBastard t1_jarjsm1 wrote

The temperature does vary, but less than temps do just going from one part of Mercury to another.

  1. Mercury has no appreciable atmosphere. This means the temperature rises and falls very quickly in response to changing light levels/solar energy.

  2. Mercury rotates very slowly (59 days), so that heating remains extremely uneven.

So, on the dark side, it's actually probably close to the same exact temperature no matter where the planet is in its orbit. On the light side, it might be tens or more of degrees warmer when it's closer to the sun, but there's no global 'climate' to shift, if that makes sense?

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Kaipakta t1_jatf1se wrote

Yes!

To say, the difference in temperature relative to different points on its elliptical orbit on the side facing the sun range from: instantly overcook your pizza to... instantly overcook your pizza.

That being said- much like the nuclear explosion description, there is a spot on mercury's penumbra where the temperature is *perfect* for baking.

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