Mercury, Venus and Earth are the first three planets in order of distance from the Sun. In this talk we will discuss each of these diverse worlds in detail. Mercury – moon sized and extremely hot. Venus – even hotter thanks to a ‘runaway greenhouse effect’.  The Earth, ‘just right’, being in the so called Sun’s habitable zone allowing life to thrive on its surface. The Earth will be put in context and described from a planetary perspective. About the Lecturer Our Astronomy Talks will be brought to you by Dr Fred Stevenson. Dr Stevenson obtained a degree in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Leicester in 1980 followed by a PhD in Cosmology from Durham University in 1986.  After further research he has spent the past twenty five years teaching adult education classes in astronomy, physics and mathematics at a variety of venues throughout Northumberland, County Durham and North Yorkshire.  He has organized and taught numerous weekend courses in astronomy based in the Kielder forest park and other venues in the North Pennines. Fred is passionate about talking to the public about astronomy and has given numerous talks to astro societies and other groups.  When he is not teaching Fred can be found wandering the moors and fells of the North of England and also in our Theatre bringing you these very exciting talks.