On average, Mercury is 58 million kilometers or 36 million miles away from the Sun. However, Mercury, like every planet in the Solar System, travels around the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The perihelion, or closest point in its orbit, for Mercury is 46 million kilometers or 29 million miles. The aphelion, or farthest point in its orbit, for Mercury is 70 million kilometers or 44 million miles.