Fig. 249.
Fig. 249 shows one of the most and one of the least eccentric of the orbits of this group as compared with that of the earth.
Fig. 250.
The intricate complexity of the orbits of the asteroids is shown in Fig. 250.
II. THE INNER GROUP OF PLANETS.
Mercury.
216. The Orbit of Mercury.—The orbit of Mercury is more eccentric than that of any of the larger planets, and it has also a greater inclination to the ecliptic. Its eccentricity (43) is a little over a fifth, and its inclination to the ecliptic somewhat over seven degrees. The mean distance of Mercury from the sun is about thirty-five million miles; but, owing to the great eccentricity of its orbit, its distance from the sun varies from about forty-three million miles at aphelion to about twenty-eight million at perihelion.
