"Elena, the hull is softening. We are melting."
The ship shuddered violently. The temperature warning screamed.
"Log the entry."
"Radiation alarm!" Orpheus barked. "Shield integrity compromised on Sector 4. We are too close. Recommend immediate vector away."
She looked out the port side. A prominence—a massive loop of magnetized plasma—was arcing out into space. It was slow and graceful, a dancer made of nuclear fire. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was creation and destruction happening in the same breath. the closest to the sun
: Due to its highly elliptical orbit, Mercury’s distance from the Sun ranges from 46 million km at its closest (perihelion) to 70 million km at its farthest (aphelion).
"Just a few more..."
"Hold," Elena commanded, her eyes locked on the readouts. "Just a few more seconds. The sensors are gathering the particle density."
: From Mercury's surface, the Sun would appear more than three times as large as it does from Earth, and the sunlight would be up to seven times brighter . "Elena, the hull is softening