Do you know which planet is the hottest in our solar system? Did you know that Mercury, according to popular belief, is not the hottest planet in the solar system? That is precisely what we are attempting to convey to you through this video. Because Mercury is the nearest planet to the Sun, many people believe it to be the hottest planet in the solar system. This, however, is not the case. Venus, the second planet from the Sun, has the highest temperature. You may be wondering why Venus is hotter than Mercury, despite the fact that Venus is not as near to the sun as Mercury is. Let's figure out why!

Solar System's hottest planet


Why is Venus the Hottest Planet and not Mercury?

Despite not being the nearest planet to the Sun, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Why? Because Venus has a thick atmosphere, or a layer of gas around the planet. The planet's dense atmosphere absorbs heat and prevents it from escaping back into space. This phenomenon is known as the "greenhouse effect," and it causes Venus's surface to be hotter than that of Mercury and all other planets in the solar system.

Introduction to Venus

Venus is one of the eight planets in our Solar System that circle the Sun. It is Earth's closest neighbor and the second planet from the Sun. The average distance between the Sun and Venus is approximately 67 million miles (108 million kilometers). When viewed from Earth, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system and the brightest planet in the sky.

Surface and Structure

Venus is a planet that exists on Earth. It's rough and sturdy. The plains cover the majority of Venus's surface. Mountains and hills are uncommon. Lava flows cover a large portion of the surface. On Venus, there are several big volcanoes. "Sif Mons" is the name of one of Venus's greatest volcanoes. In truth, Venus still has several active volcanoes on its surface. Furthermore, scientists believe Venus possesses layers similar to those seen on Earth. The layers consist mostly of a metal core, a rocky middle, and a crust.

Size

Venus is almost the same size and weight as Earth, but it is somewhat smaller. It has a diameter of around 12,100 kilometers. It is the second-largest terrestrial planet after Earth, and the sixth-largest planet in the solar system overall.

Venus is approximately three times the size of Mercury, the solar system's smallest planet. It is, nevertheless, about 11.8 times smaller than Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Around 1400 planets the size of Venus might fit within Jupiter. Venus is roughly two times the size of Mars.

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Atmosphere and Temperature

Venus is enveloped by a dense atmosphere made mostly of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. There are also heavy sulfuric acid clouds engulfing the globe. The gases and clouds trap heat, keeping Venus warm. The temperature at Venus's surface is around 867° F (464° C). The temperature is high enough to cause lead to melt. Furthermore, the thick and dense atmosphere creates extremely high pressure. The pressure on Venus is 92 times that of Earth, enough to crush many objects.

Scientists believe Venus's atmosphere may have been similar to Earth's billions of years ago. There might have also been a lot of water on Venus's surface. However, after billions of years, evaporation of water generated a greenhouse effect, resulting in a large amount of greenhouse gases in its atmosphere.

Orbit and Rotation

Venus moves in two directions: orbiting the Sun and spinning around its axis. Venus's orbit around the Sun takes 225 Earth days, hence a year on Venus lasts 225 Earth days. Venus' orbit is roughly circular, not elliptical like that of other planets. As a result, when Venus and Earth are on the same side of the Sun and Venus is between the Sun and Earth, Venus comes closest to Earth. In this condition, the average distance between Venus and Earth is around 41 million kilometers. This is the closest any other planet can come to Earth.

Venus rotates or spins about its axis while circling the Sun. It does, however, revolve in the opposite direction as most planets. This is known as a retrograde rotation. Furthermore, Venus spins quite slowly. It really has the slowest rotational speed of any planet. It rotates once every 243 Earth days, hence a day on Venus lasts 243 days. As a result, the day on Venus is longer than the year.

You may wonder why Venus rotates backwards!

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Discovery and Exploration

People have recognized Venus since ancient times since it can be seen without a telescope from Earth. Additionally, more than 20 unmanned spacecraft have visited Venus, including:

  1. In 1962, the American spacecraft "Mariner 2" flew close to Venus, making it the first spacecraft to do so.
  2. In 1970, the Soviet Union's spacecraft "Venera 7" successfully landed on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to do so.
  3. In the 1990s, the American spacecraft "Magellan" detailed surveyed the surface of Venus.
  4. In 2005, the European Space Agency launched a probe to explore the atmosphere of Venus.