The planet in question is Mercury. Beginning now and running through ... but Mercury will continue to interact with Venus, drawing closer to it, while moving to its lower left.

Mercury has the shortest and fastest orbit around the Sun and experiences dramatic temperature changes as it rotates. It is a world of extremes. Explore facts about our solar system's fastest planet.

New images of the planet Mercury taken by a robotic spacecraft have just been released — and they show the scorched world in fascinating up-close detail. SEE ALSO: Is Mercury in retrograde?