Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets , which is why the Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god.
Why is Mercury the hottest planet?
Mercury’s low mass and proximity to the sun keep it from having anything but the thinnest of atmospheres , and this is the reason it must pass on being the hottest planet. An atmosphere helps to cloak a planet, keeping heat from leaking into space.
Why is Mercury the closest to the sun but not the hottest?
So why isn’t Mercury the hottest planet? ... 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.
Which planet is not the closest to the sun but the hottest?
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Although Venus is not the planet closest to the sun, its dense atmosphere traps heat in a runaway version of the greenhouse effect that warms Earth.
How hot is it on Mercury?
Temperatures on Mercury are extreme. During the day, temperatures on the surface can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit (430 degrees Celsius) . Because the planet has no atmosphere to retain that heat, nighttime temperatures on the surface can drop to minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 180 degrees Celsius).
Why can’t humans live on Mercury?
Scientists do not believe there has ever been life on Mercury. The atmosphere on Mercury is almost non-existant . ... Mercury is inhospitable and sterile. In order for life (as we know it) to exist, Mercury would need to have temperatures that allow liquid water to remain on its surface for long periods of time.
Will Mercury fall into the Sun?
Mercury, like the other planets, is in a stable orbit around the Sun. A planet’s orbit is a geodesic through curved spacetime. ... So, Mercury is unlikely to fall into the Sun . In about 6 billion years time, the Sun will run out of Hydrogen fuel in its core.
Which is the only planet that can sustain life?
Nonetheless, Earth is the only place in the Universe known to harbor life.
Who is the hottest planet?
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: Mercury – 800°F (430°C) during the day, -290°F (-180°C) at night. Venus – 880°F (471°C)
Is Venus hot or cold?
It appears that the surface temperature ranges from about 820 degrees to nearly 900 degrees F . The average surface temperature is 847 degrees F., hot enough to melt lead.
Why Venus is hottest planet not Mercury?
Why is Venus the hottest planet in our solar system? Even though Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. This is because Mercury has almost no atmosphere , while Venus has a very thick atmosphere. This causes all the heat to be radiated back into space on Mercury.
Why is Venus hot and Mars cold?
We’ve learned that Venus is too hot because it has a runaway Greenhouse effect , caused by a broken carbon cycle, from too little water; Mars is too cold because its carbon cycle is also broken, lacking active volcanoes, and therefore it has too small a Greenhouse effect.
What are the 2 reasons for Venus being the hottest planet?
Venus is so hot because it is surrounded by a very thick atmosphere which is about 100 times more massive than our atmosphere here on Earth . As sunlight passes through the atmosphere, it heats up the surface of Venus.
What is the hottest temperature ever recorded on Mercury the planet?
On July 10, 1913, the mercury at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, spiked to 134 degrees Fahrenheit , according to the WMO. To this day, it is often cited as the highest temperature recorded on Earth, but is debated by some in the meteorological community.
Is it illegal to have a mercury thermometer?
Those days have passed. Since 2001, 20 states have banned mercury “fever thermometers” for medical use , and regulations tighten every year. ... But as of today the federal government has more or less killed the mercury thermometer in the United States—NIST has announced it will no longer calibrate mercury thermometers.
What is the hottest thing in the universe?
The dead star at the center of the Red Spider Nebula has a surface temperature of 250,000 degrees F, which is 25 times the temperature of the Sun’s surface. This white dwarf may, indeed, be the hottest object in the universe.
