Venus bakes hotter than Mercury, and you're wrong about why

It's not just about how close you are to the sun, it's about what traps the heat

By Smartasaurus· 1 min read Curious

Picture a world where the sky is so heavy it feels…

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The short version

It's not just about how close you are to the sun, it's about what traps the heat
Because the atmosphere is so dense, the heat is distributed evenly across the entire planet.
Even though it is nearly a twin to Earth in size, the winds on Venus are so fast they whip around the entire planet in just four Earth days.

Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system, reaching temperatures of 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius). Even though Mercury is twice as close to the Sun, it doesn't have an atmosphere to trap heat, causing its temperature to plummet at night.

Venus is wrapped in a suffocating blanket of carbon dioxide so thick that the pressure on the surface is equivalent to being 3,000 feet underwater. This atmosphere acts like a one-way door, letting solar energy in but never letting the heat escape. This runaway greenhouse effect makes the surface hot enough to melt lead in seconds.

Because the atmosphere is so dense, the heat is distributed evenly across the entire planet. There is no relief at the poles and no cooling during the night. The temperature is identical everywhere, 24 hours a day, regardless of whether you are in the sun or the shade.

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