How does distance from the sun affect the temperature of planets?

Answer 1

Absolutely. There is a relatively small toroidal volume of space ("toroidal" = "doughnut-shaped") around a star that is considered the habitable zone for life "as we know it". Too close to the star, and it will be too hot, like Venus; too far away and you are too cold, like Mars.

Of course, there could be life that is so unlike ours that we'll have a hard time recognizing it, and that "other life" may have completely different ideas about what kind of environment would be ideal.

Answer 2

Different bodies of the Solar System receive light of an intensity inversely proportional to the square of their distance from the Sun. For example: If a planet was twice the distance from the Sun as Earth, then the solar intensity would be one fourth the solar intensity on Earth.

Avg. Solar radiation (W/m2) reaching each planet.

• Mercury ----- 10,000
• Venus ------- 2,600
• Earth -------- 1,400
• Mars --------- 600
• Jupiter ------- 50
• Saturn -------15
• Uranus ------- 4
• Neptune ----- 1.5

• However, other factors can influence a planet's temperature. For example:

Mercury's slow rotation and lack of atmosphere mean there's a huge difference between "day" and "night" temperatures.

Venus has a "greenhouse effect" and is actually hotter than Mercury.

Neptune is as warm as Uranus, probably because it has an internal heat source.

Jupiter and Saturn also have internal heat sources that affect their temperatures.

See link for further information.

Answer 3

The further away you go from the sun the less heat and light you receive

Answer 4

Yes. If something is further away then it will receive less heat/energy from the sun.

Answer 5

The distance that is from the sun effects the temperature of the planet because, the further it is from the sun, the colder it is.

Answer 6

b