The Temperature Difference and Ranking of Planets in the Solar System

KOMPAS.com – Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and is the smallest planet in the solar system.

With a diameter of about 4,880 kilometers, Mercury is less than half the size of Earth, which is about 12,756 km in diameter.

Reporting from Live Science, Mercury can be seen in the night sky without the aid of a telescope and has been known to humans for thousands of years. For example, the Sumerians made one of the earliest known records of this planet around 3,000 BC.

Temperature on the Planet Mercury

Because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, many might think that this planet is the hottest planet.

Also read: How long does it take to travel from Earth to Mercury?

However, Mercury lacks an Earth-like atmosphere to trap and retain heat so the side facing away from the sun is always very cold, especially since slow-spinning Mercury takes about 59 Earth days to complete one rotation.

According to NASA, the temperature on Mercury’s surface can still reach 427 degrees Celsius during the day, but can drop to minus 179 degrees Celsius at night.

Meanwhile, Venus, the second planet after the Sun, is the hottest planet because it has a dense atmosphere that holds the sun’s heat.

The hottest planet in the solar system is Venus

Venus isn’t the closest planet to the Sun, but its dense atmosphere traps heat in a version of the greenhouse effect that warms Earth.

Also read: Closest to the Sun, Why is Mercury Not the Hottest Planet in the Solar System?

As a result, the temperature on Venus reaches 471 degrees Celsius. This is more than hot enough to melt lead.

With very high temperatures, Venus has an unusually hot atmosphere, consisting mostly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid and only a small amount of water.

The atmosphere of the planet Venus is also heavier than other planets, causing the surface pressure to be 90 times greater than the pressure on Earth.

As an illustration, the pressure on Venus is similar to that at a depth of 1,000 meters in the ocean.

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2023-08-27 13:35:00
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