Time on Mercury Now

Mercury, the smallest planet in our Solar System and closest to the Sun, has a unique relationship with time. The Mercury Planetary Clock uses a synchronised time system based on Earth's Unix epoch (January 1, 1970), which is commonly used in computing to measure the number of seconds that have passed since that moment in time. By using Mercury's own rotational period and orbit, we’ve adapted the Unix system to show the current date and time on Mercury.

How it Works

The Planetary Clock for Mercury adjusts Earth's Unix time to fit the planetary dynamics of Mercury. For Mercury, this adjustment accounts for the time it takes for Mercury to complete one full rotation (a 'day'), and how long it takes Mercury to complete one orbit around the Sun (a 'year'). The Planetary Clock scales these periods to calculate what the current time and date would be on Mercury relative to the Unix epoch.

 

Mercury's Unique Rotation and Orbit

Mercury has some of the most extreme characteristics in the Solar System when it comes to time. Mercury takes approximately 58.6 Earth days to complete one full rotation on its axis. This means a single day on Mercury is significantly longer than an Earth day. As a result, the Planetary Clock shows time moving more slowly, with fewer 'Mercury seconds' passing compared to Earth.

In contrast to its long day, Mercury completes an orbit around the Sun in just 88 Earth days. This means its 'years' pass extremely quickly relative to Earth. As you can see, while it may still be early in the 21st century on Earth, Mercury is far ahead in the distant future.

Because of this short orbit and long rotational period, the Planetary Clock must factor in both when calculating the exact time and date on Mercury. While Earth experiences roughly 365 days per year, Mercury only experiences about 1.5 to 2 days per year, which creates the fascinating time disparity you see here.