A Day on Mercury allows you to experience a day as perceived on the surface of Mercury, meaning the time between sunrises, which is actually 176 Earth days. This long day is caused by the fact that Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits. There is quite a bit going on in this animation. In the top part of the animation, you can see the sun traveling across the landscape as viewed from Mercury. You can watch the stats boxes in the lower left of the screen to follow the progress of the animation. Your location on Mercury is shown at the lower right in a static "front view" snapshot that changes over the course of the day. An animation of the planet's orbital position appears at the lower right. You can also track the change in temperature throughout the day by looking at the thermometer in the lower middle of the screen.
