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These types of questions cannot be answered. It is one of things in nature that we can only observe for now, until an explanation can be found for this.

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Doris Carter

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2y ago
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14y ago

Venus has a thick atmosphere of pale, yellow clouds of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. The clouds and the gases in them (mostly the CO2) trap the heat and prevent it from escaping to space (The Greenhouse effect).
This causes it to heat up to very high temperatures, higher than that of Mercury.


Mercury on the other hand has no atmosphere to trap heat. So a lot of the incident radiation is reflected away and it doesn't stay hot.
For instance, if you step from the sunlit side to the dark side of Mercury, the temperature drops by about 600°C.


A quote from Wikipedia: The CO2-rich atmosphere, along with thick clouds of sulfur dioxide, generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the solar system, creating surface temperatures of over 460°C. This makes Venus's surface hotter than Mercury's which has a minimum surface temperature of -220°C and maximum surface temperature of 420°C, even though Venus is nearly twice Mercury's distance from the Sun and receives only 25% of Mercury's solar irradiance.

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13y ago

Mercury is closest, and gets direct heat from the sun. Some of it is reflected, but the side of Mercury facing the sun at any given time is about 800 degrees F. Mercury has no atmosphere.

Venus, on the other hand, has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid vapor.

Venus gets less direct heat from the sun, but the planet cannot reflect any of it back into space, as the heavy CO2 clouds trap it in - Venus' surface temperature is 900 degrees F, which is, yes, hotter than Mercury.

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9y ago

Mercury lacks and atmosphere, so even though it receives more heat from the sun, it cannot retain that heat. Venus has a dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which is excellent at trapping heat.

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13y ago

These types of questions cannot be answered. It is one of things in nature that we can only observe for now, until an explanation can be found for this.

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13y ago

Mercury has no atmosphere and Venus has a thick atmosphere that keeps in heat.

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11y ago

because it is in the first line of the solar system

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10y ago

Mercury has a led core and Venus has a thicker atmosphere, which keeps more heat in.

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12y ago

its not the coldest planet

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Q: Why is Venus the hottest planet when Mercury is the closest to the sun?
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Related questions

Why Venus and mercury is the hottest planet?

they are closest to the sun


Which outer planet is closest to the sun?

The closest outer planet to the sun is jupiter The closest inner planet to the sun is mercury But mercury isnt the hottest planet because venus has the hottest core


Which planet is closest to the sun why isin't it the hottest planet?

Mercury is the closest planet toward the sun. Although it should be the hottest planet, it is not. Venus, the planet right next to Mercury, is the hottest planet. Mercury can get up to 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, but Venus can get up to 900 to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is about 100 degrees hotter than Mercury's surface. FUN FACT! Venus is the hottest planet because it is filled with volcanoes erupting every second. Another reason why Venus is the hottest planet is because of it's rain. Venus actually rains boiling hot acid!


Which planet closest to the sun and why isn't it the hottest planet?

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but is only the second hottest planet after Venus. Venus gets hotter as the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere holds the heat more effectively, while Mercury has no atmosphere to hold the heat.


What makes Mercury the hottest planet?

Although Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, it is only the second hottest planet after Venus. Venus gets hotter as the thick carbon Dioxide atmosphere holds the heat more effectively, while Mercury has no atmosphere.


Which planet is the hottest planet and why?

Venus is the hottest planet. It is second closest planet to the sun (next to Mercury) but it is the hottest because clouds surround it trapping heat in like a blanket, creating a green house effect.


Do the closest planet to the sun always have the hottest surface temperatures?

No. For example Venus is the second closest planet but is the hottest. This is because it has a thick atmosphere and therefore it holds the heat in more than Mercury (the closest planet) does.


Is there anywhere as hot as Saturn?

Mercury is the hottest planet, because it is the closest to the sun. Venus comes after that.


What was the hottest planet of all?

In our solar system, the hottest planet is Venus. Even though the planet is second-closest to the sun, Venus' atmosphere holds in a lot of the heat, making it hotter than Mercury.


Is the planet closet to the sun the hottest?

No. For example Venus is the second closest planet but is the hottest. This is because it has a thick atmosphere and therefore it holds the heat in more than mercury (the closest planet) does.


What is the hottest planet in milky way galaxy?

It is not known, since we don't know all the planets in the galaxy, but in our solar system Mercury is the hottest planet, since it's closest to the sun. The hottest planet in Milky Way would be some planet closest to the biggest and hottest star there is. that is wrong, venus, due to it's hot surface and acid gases and things like that, make it the hottest planet. Mercury has no atmosphere, and Venus has a large CO2 high pressure atmosphere, hence Venus is hotter than Mercury!


Why isn't the closest planet to the sun the hottest planet?

Venus is hotter than Mercury, even if mercury is the closest. It's because of the green house effect which traps the heat inside the planet :)