Mercury – The Planet of Extremes

In the vast expanse of space, where stars twinkled brightly, a spaceship called the "Astrojet" was soaring. Its captain, astronaut Star Max, was a man dedicated to exploring planets and stars. Max was always ready to embark on a new mission to uncover the secrets of the universe and share them with children on Earth. He was joined by his trusty companion, Astro-Bot, a robot always ready to assist and provide valuable information.

“Astro-Bot, next stop: Mercury!” Max announced, checking the data on the monitor. “The smallest planet in the Solar System, yet so fascinating!”

“Max, don’t forget that temperatures on Mercury can rise to +430°C during the day and drop to -180°C at night,” Astro-Bot reminded him, flashing an indicator. “With no atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to study extremes.”

The ship approached the planet, and a stunning view appeared on the screens: Mercury looked like a huge gray ball, covered with countless craters. Max activated the stabilization system and prepared to land.

“Initiating landing,” he announced. The ship gently touched down on a plain scattered with dust and rocks. Max donned his heat-resistant suit and stepped outside, taking Astro-Bot with him.

The first thing that caught Max’s eye was the deep craters, resembling those he had seen on the Moon. The planet’s surface was gray and cracked, as if it had been baked by the Sun for ages. Even through his protective suit, Max could feel the high temperature.

“It’s so hot here during the day that any metal would melt,” Max said, gazing at the landscape. “But as soon as the Sun sets, it turns into an icy desert.”

Astro-Bot confirmed: — “The temperature changes so drastically because Mercury has almost no atmosphere. On Earth, the air retains heat at night and softens the heat during the day, but here that doesn’t happen.”

Max decided to run an experiment. He placed two temperature sensors on the surface: one on the sunlit side and another in the shadow of a crater. The difference was astonishing: — “Plus 400 degrees in the sunlight and minus 100 in the shade,” he said. “This truly is the planet of extremes!”

Max continued exploring the planet, taking notes. He found more similarities with the Moon: — “These craters look like marks from massive meteorites. It seems there was no atmosphere here to protect the surface from impacts,” he explained, jotting down his observations.

Astro-Bot added: — “Mercury rotates very slowly, so one side of the planet stays in the Sun for a long time, while the other remains in shadow. This also amplifies the temperature extremes.”

When the research was complete, Max collected samples of dust and rocks to study them aboard the "Astrojet." Before heading back, he recorded in his journal: “Mercury teaches us that we shouldn’t judge something based on one side. To truly understand a planet (or anything in life), we need to examine it from different angles.”

Astro-Bot chimed in, its indicator blinking: — “An excellent lesson, Max. Now let’s head home and prepare the report for the kids!”

The spaceship lifted off, leaving clouds of dust behind. Max looked at Mercury through the porthole and smiled: — “See you next time, planet of extremes!”