What planet is the hottest in our solar system?

Answer 1

This is a much more complex question than it appears at first glance.

Consider the planet Mercury. Its surface temperature can approach 700 K. However, its average surface temperature is "only" about 450 K (still well above the boiling point of water), and at night temperatures can drop to around 110 K (not quite cold enough to liquify air, but still very, very cold by human standards).

Venus, on the other hand, though further from the Sun has a thick atmosphere which traps heat and surface temperatures can reach 750 K or so, and the nighttime temperatures are not significantly lower. This gives it both the highest maximum and highest average surface temperatures of the terrestrial planets.

However, the situation becomes a bit more complicated when we look at the outer planets, which are gas giants and the term "surface temperature" has basically no meaning.

As far as we know, Jupiter doesn't actually HAVE a "surface". However, estimates are that at the phase transition point between liquid and metallic hydrogen deep below the cloud layer that we can see, temperatures may be as high as 10,000 K and at the core boundary the temperature is estimated at 36,000 K. Jupiter actually radiates more heat to space than it receives from the Sun. If we revise our definition of "hottest" to include the interiors of the planets, Jupiter is much hotter than Venus.

Answer 2

This is a much more complex question than it appears at first glance.

Consider the planet Mercury. Its surface temperature can approach 700 K. However, its average surface temperature is "only" about 450 K (still well above the boiling point of water), and at night temperatures can drop to around 110 K (not quite cold enough to liquify air, but still very, very cold by human standards).

Venus, on the other hand, though further from the Sun has a thick atmosphere which traps heat and surface temperatures can reach 750 K or so, and the nighttime temperatures are not significantly lower. This gives it both the highest maximum and highest average surface temperatures of the terrestrial planets.

However, the situation becomes a bit more complicated when we look at the outer planets, which are gas giants and the term "surface temperature" has basically no meaning.

As far as we know, Jupiter doesn't actually HAVE a "surface". However, estimates are that at the phase transition point between liquid and metallic hydrogen deep below the cloud layer that we can see, temperatures may be as high as 10,000 K and at the core boundary the temperature is estimated at 36,000 K. Jupiter actually radiates more heat to space than it receives from the Sun. If we revise our definition of "hottest" to include the interiors of the planets, Jupiter is much hotter than Venus.

Answer 3

Mars