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In the pre-Christian era, this planet actually had two names, as it was not realized it could alternately appear on one side of the Sun and then the other
{{quotebox|Mercury has a very elliptical orbit. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it is nearly 50% farther than at its nearest distance to the Sun. <ref> [http://astroprofspage.com/archives/139 ] </ref> }}
{{quotebox|Mercury has a very elliptical orbit. At its farthest distance from the Sun, it is nearly 50% farther than at its nearest distance to the Sun. <ref> [http://astroprofspage.com/archives/139 ] </ref> }}
==Discovery==
Mercury is one of the five brightest planets, and has been known since ancient times.
{{quotebox|In the pre-Christian era, this planet actually had two names, as it was not realized it could alternately appear on one side of the Sun and then the other. Mercury was called Mercury when in the evening sky, but was known as Apollo when it appeared in the morning. It is said that [[Pythagoras]], about the fifth century B.C., pointed out that they were one and the same.<ref>[http://www.space.com/spacewatch/mercury_view_030404.html Seeing Mercury at sunset], April 2003</ref> }}
== Orbital oddities ==
== Orbital oddities ==