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List Of Hottest And Coldest Planets In The Solar System

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Which Are The Hottest And Coldest Planets In The Solar System?

A planet is a large astronomical entity that orbits a star or stellar remnant and is rounded by its own gravity, but according to the International Astronomical Union not all planetary scientists suggest that they won't cause thermonuclear fusion and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals. Planets have long been associated with history, astrology, science, mythology, and religion. Apart from Earth, five of the Solar System's planets are often visible to the naked eye. Many early societies considered them to be divine or divine ambassadors.

The human view of the planets evolved as scientific knowledge grew, encompassing a variety of different objects. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved a resolution in 2006 that defined planets in the Solar System. This definition is divisive since it eliminates a large number of planetary-mass objects depending on where they orbit or what they orbit. Although eight of the planetary bodies discovered before 1950 remain "planets" under the current definition, some celestial bodies once considered planets by the scientific community, such as Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta, as well as Pluto (the first trans-Neptunian object discovered), are no longer considered planets under the current definition.

Have you ever wondered which is the hottest and coldest planet in the solar system? Let us take a look at the hottest and coldest planets in the solar system.


Venus

The second planet from the sun is Venus on the list of hottest planets in the solar system, the solar system's hottest planet. Galileo Galilei was the astronomer who first viewed and recorded the planet using his telescope. Because it is the brightest celestial body in the sky, it is called after the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus. After the Moon, Venus is the brightest natural object in Earth's night sky, and it may cast shadows and will be visible to the naked eye in broad daylight on rare occasions. Because Venus orbits Earth, it never appears to go far from the Sun, setting in the west just after nightfall or rising in the east shortly before dawn. Every 224.7 Earth days, Venus circles the Sun.

Because of their comparable size, mass, closeness to the Sun, and bulk composition, Venus is frequently referred to as Earth's "sister planet." In other ways, it is vastly different from Earth. It possesses the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets, with a carbon dioxide content of about 96 percent. The air pressure on the planet's surface is almost 92 times that of Earth's sea level pressure, or nearly that of 900 meters (3,000 feet) underwater. Venus has the warmest surface of any planet in the Solar System, with a mean temperature of 737 K (464 °C; 867 °F), notwithstanding Mercury's proximity to the Sun.

The atmosphere of Venus is extraordinarily thick, consisting of 96.5 percent carbon dioxide, 3.5 percent nitrogen (both of which exist as supercritical fluids near the planet's surface), and traces of other gases such as sulfur dioxide. Its atmosphere has a mass of 92 times that of Earth's, and its surface pressure is roughly 93 times that of Earth's—a pressure comparable to that found almost 1 km beneath Earth's seas.


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Image: Planet Venus


Mercury

At the most extreme points of Mercury, such as 0°N, 0°W, or 180°W, the surface temperature ranges from 100 to 700 K (173 to 427 °C; 280 to 800 °F). Due to the lack of an atmosphere and a significant temperature differential between the equator and the poles, it never reaches over 180 K at the poles.

At perihelion (0°W or 180°W), the subsolar point reaches 700 K, but only 550 K at aphelion (90° or 270°W). On Mercury's surface, sunlight intensity varies between 4.59 and 10.61 times the solar constant (1,370 Wm-2).

It is the first planet to approach the Sun. It lies second hottest planet in the Solar System in the list of coldest and hottest planets in the solar system, but since it lacks an atmosphere, temperatures fluctuate during the day. The temperature may drop to -93 degrees Celsius or soar to 427 degrees Celsius, with an average of 167 degrees Celsius.


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Image: Planet Mercury


Earth

It is the planet closest to the Sun. Exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere are the layers of gases that surround the planet. Most species were able to live because of the air quality and favourable atmospheric pressure. The carbon dioxide concentration of Earth's air is lower than that of planets like Venus and Mars. As a result, the lower carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere serves to regulate global temperatures and is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis to generate oxygen.


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Image: Planet Earth


Mars

It is the 4th planet from the Sun and the Solar System's second-smallest planet after Mercury. It is one of the Solar System's terrestrial planets with a thin atmosphere. This planet's atmosphere is made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide, 1.93 percent argon, 1.89 percent nitrogen, and traces of oxygen and water.

The solar wind interacts directly with the Martian ionosphere, reducing air density by stripping away atoms from the outer layer. Mars lost its magnetosphere 4 billion years ago, perhaps due to many asteroid hits, thus the solar wind interacts directly with the Martian ionosphere. Ionised atmospheric particles trailing out into space behind Mars have been observed by both the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express, and the MAVEN spacecraft is studying this atmospheric loss. The atmosphere of Mars is very rarefied when compared to that of Earth. Today's atmospheric pressure on the surface varies from 30 Pa (0.0044 psi) on Olympus Mons to over 1,155 Pa (0.1675 psi) on Hellas Planitia, with a mean pressure of 600 Pa. (0.087 psi).

On Mars, the greatest air density is found 35 kilometres (22 miles) above the planet's surface. The resulting mean surface pressure is just 0.6% of Earth's (101.3 kPa) (14.69 psi). Because the surface gravity of Mars is only about 38 percent that of Earth, the scale height of the atmosphere is about 10.8 kilometres (6.7 mi), which is higher than Earth's, which is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi), an effect offset by both the lower temperature and 50 percent higher average molecular weight of the atmosphere of Mars.

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Image: Planet Mars


Jupiter

It is the biggest planet in the Solar System and the fifth planet from the Sun. It is made up primarily of hydrogen, with helium accounting for a quarter of its mass while accounting for just a tenth of the total number of molecules. Ammonia crystals and perhaps ammonium hydrosulphide make up the planet's atmosphere. 

Jupiter is the fifth warmest planet in the solar system, as well as the fifth planet from the sun. Its day is just 10 hours long, despite its distance from the primary star. This indicates that one day on Earth may be equivalent to two and a half on Jupiter.

The magnetic field of this planet is 20 times greater than that of Earth. Jupiter is the equivalent of 1,321 earths in size.


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Image: Planet Jupiter


Saturn

By volume, Saturn's outer atmosphere comprises 96.3 percent molecular hydrogen and 3.25 percent helium. In comparison to the quantity of this element in the Sun, the fraction of helium is substantially low. Although the exact number of elements heavier than helium (metallicity) is unknown, the proportions are thought to approximate the primordial abundances from the Solar System's creation.

It is the 6th planet from the Sun and the Solar System's second-largest planet after Jupiter. It has an iron-nickel core and is made of rock (silicon and oxygen compounds). By volume, this planet's atmosphere comprises 96.3 percent molecular hydrogen and 3.25 percent helium.

The total mass of these heavier elements is believed to be 19–31 times that of the Earth, with a large portion of it concentrated in Saturn's core. In Saturn's atmosphere, trace quantities of ammonia, acetylene, ethane, propane, phosphine, and methane have been found. The higher clouds appear to be made up of ammonia crystals, while the lower clouds look to be made up of ammonium hydrosulfide or water. In the high atmosphere, ultraviolet light from the Sun induces methane photolysis, which leads to a sequence of hydrocarbon chemical processes, with the products transported downward by eddies and diffusion. Saturn's yearly seasonal cycle influences this photochemical cycle.

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Image: Planet Saturn


Uranus

Uranus, the seventh planet in our solar system, was first discovered in 1781 by William Herschel. The Greek god Ouranos inspired the name of this planet. Like Venus, it turns on its side in an east-west orientation. There are 13 recognised rings on this planet, as well as 27 natural satellites. Uranus' atmosphere is the outermost component of Uranus' gaseous envelope that is accessible to remote sensing, despite the fact that there is no well-defined solid surface within Uranus' interior. The capacity of remote sensing extends down to around 300 kilometres below 1 bar (100 kPa), with a pressure of about 100 bar (10 MPa) and a temperature of 320 K (47 °C; 116 °F).

The Uranian atmosphere is divided into three layers: the troposphere (between 300 and 50 km altitude and pressures of 100 to 0.1 bar); the stratosphere (between 50 and 4,000 km altitude and pressures of 0.1 to 1010 bar); and the thermosphere (between 4,000 and 50,000 km altitude and pressures of 0.1 to 1010 bar). There is no such thing as a mesosphere. From the nominal surface, which is specified to reside at a pressure of 1 bar, the thin thermosphere spans over two planetary radii.


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Image: Planet Uranus


Neptune

Extremely dynamic storm systems characterize Neptune's weather, with winds reaching approximately 600 m/s (2,200 km/h; 1,300 mph)—nearing supersonic flow. Wind speeds have been measured to range from 20 m/s in an easterly direction to 325 m/s in a westerly direction by following the migration of continuous clouds. The predominant winds at the cloud tops vary in speed from 400 m/s near the equator to 250 m/s at the poles. The majority of Neptune's winds blow in the opposite direction of the planet's spin. Winds rotated in a prograde pattern at high latitudes and in a retrograde direction at lower latitudes.


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Image: Planet Neptune

The planets of the Solar System are classified into 2 groups based on their composition: Terrestrial planets and Giant planets. The structure and distance from the Sun influence the temperature of the planets in the Solar System. In this post, we will provide a list of the Solar System's list of coldest and hottest planets in the system, which will be beneficial for competitive examinations such as UPSC Prelims, SSC, State Services, NDA, CDS, and Railways, among others.

FAQs on List Of Hottest And Coldest Planets In The Solar System

Question 1: Which are the hottest and coldest planets in the solar system?

Answer: Venus, with an average temperature of 464 degrees Celsius, is the hottest planet in the solar system, while Neptune, with an average temperature of -214 degrees Celsius, is the coldest.

Question 2: Uranus or Neptune, which is colder?

Answer: Neptune has the lowest average temperature (about -214°C), as it is the eighth planet in our solar system and hence the one farthest from the sun. Uranus, on the other hand, as the seventh planet from the sun, holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded, with a temperature of -224°C.