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Mercury has little or no atmosphere to protect it thermally from the cold of space, nor from the heat of the sun during the day. Although the temperature can reach more than 427 °C (800 °F), this heat is rapidly radiated back into space once the area is out of the sunlight. During the night (88 earth days long), the temperature of the surface falls to -184°C (-300°F).

Gases in Earth's air, including water vapor and carbon dioxide, make a "greenhouse" effect that stops most of the heat from escaping at night. Without some greenhouse effect, Earth would also suffer extremes of temperature. Venus (which orbits between Mercury and Earth) has an atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth's so its greenhouse effect is substantially more noticeable. The surface of Venus stays around 400 degrees even at night.

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