
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury?
Venus is hotter than Mercury because Venus has a thicker atmosphere than Mercury. Venus’s thick atmosphere traps the planet’s heat from the sun, making it hot enough to melt lead.
What are the similarities and differences between Venus and Mercury?
Mercury has almost no atmosphere, whereas the atmosphere of Venus is thicker. The heat from the sun will quickly be radiated back to space for the case of Mercury; however, Venus will tend to trap the heat resulting in very high temperatures on its surface.
Why is Mercury the 2nd hottest planet?
This thin exosphere means that the temperature on the planet Mercury can vary drastically, from over 400°c at one point to as cold as -180°c on the dark side of the planet. So, it’s clear to see why Mercury’s lack of atmosphere has left it as the second hottest planet as opposed to being the first.
What is the surface temperature of Venus?
Venus is an exception because its dense atmosphere acts as a greenhouse and heats the surface to above the melting point of lead, about 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius).

Why Venus is much hotter than Mercury?
The carbon dioxide traps most of the heat from the Sun. The cloud layers also act as a blanket. The result is a “runaway greenhouse effect” that has caused the planet's temperature to soar to 465°C, hot enough to melt lead. This means that Venus is even hotter than Mercury.
Is Mercury the hottest planet?
Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury is not the hottest planet in our solar system – that title belongs to nearby Venus, thanks to its dense atmosphere. But Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days.
Which planet is most hottest?
Planetary surface temperatures tend to get colder the farther a planet is from the Sun. Venus is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun, and its dense atmosphere make it our solar system's hottest planet.
What is the second hottest planet?
Mercury2. Mercury: The average temperature of Mercury is 167 degree Celsius. It is the first nearest planet from the Sun and the second hottest planet in the solar system.
Can you breathe the air on Mercury?
The exosphere is made of atoms of sodium, magnesium, hydrogen, potassium, calcium, iron, aluminum, argon, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and xenon. But there is not near enough of it to enable a human to take off his helmet and draw in a breath. Further, the air pressure is so low on Mercury that it pretty much a vacuum.
Can a human go to Mercury?
No, Mercury has been visited by spacecraft from Earth, but no human has ever gone into orbit around Mercury, let alone stepped on the surface. Just what would it take to visit Mercury? Humans attempting to visit Mercury would find a similar environment to the Moon.
Is Mercury too hot for life?
Mercury and Venus Mercury is not generally considered to be likely to be a planet with life. It is too close to the Sun, extremely hot and dry, and has very little atmosphere.
How does Mercury not burn up?
It is made of rocky materials that have melting points above about 600℃. So while Mercury is indeed very hot, it is not hot enough to melt. And certainly not hot enough to boil or turn into gas.
How Hot & How Far
The Sun is spherical and has a diameter of ~864,938 miles (~1.392 million km). Nuclear fusion at its core creates huge amounts of energy and the core temperature is ~27 million °Fahrenheit (~15 million °Celsius).
1 - Radiation
Radiation is the transfer of heat energy through space by electromagnetic radiation. Feeling heat near a campfire or fireplace is an example of radiation.
2 - Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of heat energy from one substance to another or within a substance. Leaving a metal spoon in hot food or drink and the handle of the spoon getting hot is an example of conduction. Pavement and buildings heating up the surrounding air at night are another.
3 - Convection
Convection is the transfer of heat energy in a fluid and a planet’s atmosphere acts like a fluid. Warm air rising and cold water sinking when it’s added to a bathtub of hot water are examples of convection.
Conclusion
Venus receives less solar energy than Mercury, but it’s the hottest planet because of its thick dense atmosphere. Venus’s carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere absorbs and re-emits infrared energy. During the night, this energy remains trapped in Venus’s atmosphere.
Which planet has the hottest surface temperature?
Planetary surface temperatures tend to get colder the farther a planet is from the Sun. Venus is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun and dense atmosphere make it our solar system's hottest planet.
How hot does Venus get?
Venus is an exception because its dense atmosphere acts as a greenhouse and heats the surface to above the melting point of lead, about 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius).
What are the temperatures of planets?
Planetary surface temperatures tend to get colder the farther a planet is from the Sun. Venus is the exception, as its proximity to the Sun and dense atmosphere make it our solar system's hottest planet. The average temperatures of planets in our solar system are: 1 Mercury - 800°F (430°C) during the day, -290°F (-180°C) at night 2 Venus - 880°F (471°C) 3 Earth - 61°F (16°C) 4 Mars - minus 20°F (-28°C) 5 Jupiter - minus 162°F (-108°C) 6 Saturn - minus 218°F (-138°C) 7 Uranus - minus 320°F (-195°C) 8 Neptune - minus 331°F (-201°C) 9 Pluto - minus 388°F (-233°C)
What planets have a temperature of minus 388?
Saturn - minus 218°F (-138°C) Uranus - minus 320°F (-195°C) Neptune - minus 331°F (-201°C) Pluto - minus 388°F (-233°C) This graphic shows the average temperatures of various destinations in our solar system. (Planets not to scale) In general, the surface temperatures decreases with increasing distance from the sun.
How cold is mercury at night?
It can be as cold as -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-179 degrees Celsius) on Mercury at night.
What is the most hottest planet in the universe?
Venus, the planet in our solar system where temperatures regularly are the hottest, averages a high of about 460 degrees Celsius at ground level.
What planet is the coldest?
The seventh planet from the sun, Uranus has the coldest atmosphere of any of the planets in the solar system, even though it is not the most distant. Despite the fact that its equator faces away from the sun, the temperature distribution on Uranus is much like other planets, with a warmer equator and cooler poles.
Is Earth named after God?
All of the planets, except for Earth, were named after Greek and Roman gods and godesses. The name Earth is an English/German name which simply means the ground. It comes from the Old English words ‘eor (th)e’ and ‘ertha’.
Do we have 2 suns?
Our Sun is a solitary star, all on its ownsome, which makes it something of an oddball. But there’s evidence to suggest that it did have a binary twin, once upon a time. … So, if not for some cosmic event or quirk, Earth could have had two suns. But we don’t.
How far is the nearest black hole from us?
Now, astronomers have discovered a black hole with just three times the mass of the sun, making it one of the smallest found to date—and it happens to be the closest known black hole, at just 1,500 light-years from Earth.
Is Mars Hot or cold?
Temperatures on Mars average about -81 degrees F. However, temperature’s range from around -220 degrees F. in the wintertime at the poles, to +70 degrees F.
Which planet has the shortest day?
Jupiter is the fastest spinning planet in our Solar System, rotating on average once in just under 10 hours. That is very fast, especially considering how large Jupiter is. This means that Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets in the Solar System.
Does Venus Have Water?
Venus is not a planet with water. It only has carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. Any moisture on Venus is most likely located in the clouds of vaporized sulfuric acid.
Does it Rain on Venus?
The atmosphere of Venus is composed mainly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen with a small amount of water vapor. The water vapor in the atmosphere is in the form of droplets, but it has been theorized that once upon a time, the atmosphere was a lot more humid, and water vapor was in the form of liquid droplets.
How Hot is Venus During the Day?
The temperature on planet Venus during the day is hot. This is because the planet’s atmosphere is so thick and dense that sunlight can’t penetrate to the surface.
Can Humans Live on Venus?
The good news is that scientists have found a way to make the atmosphere on Venus livable for humans by releasing SO2 gas into the atmosphere. This would make it possible for humans to live on Venus and mine its rich resources such as sulfur and potassium salts.
Final Thoughts
One day on planet Venus is equivalent to 116 Earth days. The planet’s rotation is slow because it has a thick atmosphere. At first glance, Venus appears to be Earth’s twin. It has a similar size and mass and the same surface gravity. The poles are not tilted like Earth’s, so the planet’s seasons are even more extreme than ours.
Which is hotter Mercury or Venus Why?
Venus is hotter than Mercury because it has a much thicker atmosphere. ... Mercury is closer but because it has a very thin or no atmosphere at all the heat goes out into space. Venus on the other hand with it's much thicker atmosphere holds all the heat it gets.
Why is Mercury the second hottest?
Since Mercury lacks an atmosphere, it has no way of trapping the heat that is generated by the sun, thus leading it to have periods of both hot and cold. ... Though it isn't the hottest planet, it is still comes in a respectable second place, even without an atmosphere.
Why is Mercury the fastest planet?
Mercury speeds around the sun every 88 Earth days, traveling through space at nearly 112,000 mph (180,000 km/h), faster than any other planet. Its oval-shaped orbit is highly elliptical, taking Mercury as close as 29 million miles (47 million km) and as far as 43 million miles (70 million km) from the sun.
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury?
Venus is hotter than Mercury because the atmosphere of Venus is denser than that of Mercury. Mercury has almost no atmosphere, whereas the atmosphere of Venus is thicker.
Which planet is the hottest?
Mercury planet is the smallest and closest to the sun. Due to its location within the solar system, it is only logical that anyone would think of it as the hottest planet.
What Is The Role Of The Atmosphere In Planets?
The atmosphere is from Greek words that mean ‘vapor, steam’ and ‘sphere.’ It is a layer or layers of gases. These layers envelop a planet.
What is the force exerted by the enveloping of the planetary bodies?
The enveloping of the planetary bodies by these layers of gases exerts a force on the surface. This force is known as the atmospheric pressure and differs from one planetary body to another.
What is the solar system?
The term ‘solar system’ describes the planetary system which has our lovely planet EarthEarth. According to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), several planetary systems with planets orbiting a host star exists.
What makes up the solar system?
The sun and objects that orbit it makes up the solar system. Of these objects, planets are well known and have been under research for a very long time.
Why is the solar system called the solar system?
It is known as the solar system because of the sun, the host star, known as ‘solis’ in Latin. Anything that relates to the sun is then referred to as solar.
