In our Solar System, the planets orbit the Sun at varying distances. The closest planet to the Sun is Mercury.
Closest Planet: Mercury.
Smallest Planet: Mercury.
Hottest Planet: Venus (due to greenhouse effect).
Mercury's Year: 88 Earth days.
Moons: 0.
You might think that being the closest to the Sun makes Mercury the hottest planet. This is false.
Venus is the hottest planet. Why? Because Mercury has almost no atmosphere to trap heat. The side facing the Sun gets incredibly hot (430°C), but the side facing away from the Sun loses all its heat to space and gets freezing cold (-180°C). Venus, however, has a thick, toxic atmosphere of carbon dioxide that creates a massive greenhouse effect, keeping its surface constantly roasting at around 475°C.
For context, the order is:
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
No. Venus is the hottest planet because its thick atmosphere traps heat. Mercury has no atmosphere to hold the heat in.
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