Who discovered Mercury?

No one knows who discovered Mercury, as it was known to ancient civilizations. Despite the fact that it's a very small planet, it can be seen with the naked eye. However, it's believed that the Romans gave the planet the name Mercury after their fleet-footed messenger god.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. At its closest, or perihelion, it's 28,583,702 miles away. It has no atmosphere to speak of and is vulnerable to asteroid strikes and temperatures of extreme cold at night and extreme heat during the day. It has neither rings nor moon and is itself only a little bigger than Earth's moon.