By Sakshi Sah
Published Apr 26, 2025

Hindustan Times
Trending

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Why Venus is hotter than Mercury: Mind-blowing facts

Why isn’t Mercury the hottest planet? You might think it should be, but it’s Venus.

Photo Credit: NASA

Mercury orbits closer to the Sun than any other planet. So why isn't it the hottest?

Photo Credit: NASA

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According to BBC, Mercury is closest to the Sun, orbiting between 46 and 69 million kilometres away.

Photo Credit: NASA

Mercury's surface temperature can reach a scorching 430°C under the full Sun.

Photo Credit: NASA

But Venus, despite being farther from the Sun, is the hottest planet in our Solar System.

Photo Credit: NASA

Venus orbits at an average distance of 108 million kilometres from the Sun.

Photo Credit: NASA

Venus's thick atmosphere, mostly made of carbon dioxide, traps heat, causing it to stay extremely hot.

Photo Credit: NASA

With an atmosphere almost 100 times thicker than Earth’s, Venus retains heat both day and night.

Photo Credit: NASA

Venus’s thick carbon dioxide atmosphere makes it the hottest planet, with almost no temperature difference between day and night.

Photo Credit: NASA