Mercury is the nearest planet from the sun then why is Venus still the hottest planet?


  It is true that Mercury is closest to the sun. However, because of its closeness to the sun, it lacks an atmosphere. Mercury's gaseous molecules escaped long ago and its atmosphere was 'burned off' leaving a vacant wasteland of rock. There is nothing to hold in solar radiation, thus it flies out into space.

Venus's case is different. Its atmosphere is mostly composed of carbon dioxide - a greenhouse gas -, which traps incoming solar heat. The solar heat enters, but it cannot leave. Thus, Venus is very hot, and hotter than Mercury. Venus had water once, but because of climatic changes and intense heat, the water evaporated.

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Updated on: 10-Oct-2022

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