Hottest Planet in the Solar system!

The solar system consists of 8 planets that revolve around the Sun. The Sun is our star. The 8 planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto was derecognized as a planet in the solar system in 2006 and recognized as a dwarf planet. How- ever, a debate has once again started recently to include Pluto back into the solar system. 

The Sun gives light and warmth to all planets in our system. The planets closer to the sun are on the whole warmer and brighter whereas those farther away are cooler and darker. According to this, can you guess the hottest planet out of the 8? If you thought ‘Mercury’, you are wrong. It is Venus! So what makes Venus hotter than Mercury? 

Though Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun, Venus’ mass and volume are quite similar to the Earth’s mass and volume. (Venus’ mass is 81.5% of the Earth and its volume is 86% of the Earth). It is sometimes referred to as the Earth’s sister planet. 

The average surface temperature is 462 °C, and because Venus does not tilt on its axis, there is no seasonal variation. The atmosphere consists almost 96% of carbon dioxide (CO2) that traps heat and causes a greenhouse effect. Venus has an atmosphere about ninety times thicker than that of the Earth. Due to these two factors, Venus is extremely hot. It is the brightest planet, earning the nickname ‘the Morning Star’.