The universe has caused people to do countless researches for centuries. Mesopotamian civilizations, Greeks, Mayans, Incas and Aztecs have made very important studies on the Solar System. Today, it is accepted that there are eight planets of different sizes and positions in the Solar System.
The four planets closest to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are often referred to as ‘terrestrial planets’ because they have a rocky surface. Planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called ‘Jovian planets’ because they have much larger dimensions than terrestrial planets. Let’s all take a closer look at these planets and ask ‘Which planet is closest to the Sun?’ Let’s move on to our article where we answer questions such as:
Which planet is closest to the sun?
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun in terms of average distances. At about 58 million km (0.39 AU) from the Sun, the planet is not, however, the hottest planet in the Solar System. Venus holds this title. Mercury, the smallest of the eight planets, has a radius of 2,440 km. It is slightly larger than the Moon and smaller than Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons.
Its atmosphere is mostly composed of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium and potassium. It is not known exactly when the planet was first discovered, but it was first observed with telescopes in the 17th century by astronomers Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot.
Let’s examine Mercury’s properties:
- It is the closest planet to the sun
- It is the smallest planet in the Solar System
- Due to the cooling of the iron core, it is getting smaller day by day
- The planet with the most craters in the Solar System
- orbits the Sun faster than any other planet
- Mercury is named after the Roman god of commerce.
- One day on Mercury equals 59 days on Earth
- It has no satellites
- There are enormous temperature differences between night and day
Mercury, one of the most interesting planets of the Solar System, draws attention with its features. Besides being the closest planet to the Sun, it is the smallest planet in the Solar System. The Romans named it after Mercury, their god of commerce and communication, because it seemed to move faster than other planets. A year on Mercury, which rotates much faster than other planets, is only 88 Earth days.
Due to its small size, low gravity and proximity to the Sun, it has no moons. Due to its rather weak atmosphere, the surface temperature of Mercury can reach 427 °C during the day, while it can drop to -173 °C at night. The planet, which continues to shrink very slowly, is estimated to be about 14.48 km smaller than it was four billion years ago. Astronomers believe this is due to the cooling of its iron core.
So which planet is the farthest from the Sun?
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, at about 4.5 billion km. According to NASA data, Neptune is more than 17 times the mass of the Earth and about 58 times the volume of the Earth. Galileo Galilei, one of the most important astronomers in history, was one of the first people to describe Neptune as a space body, but thought it was a star because of its slow motion.
Neptune, which cannot be seen with the naked eye due to its distance from the Sun, has only been imaged by the Voyager 2 spacecraft so far. Observing Neptune from a distance of about 4400 km, the spacecraft gathered information about Neptune’s magnetic field, atmosphere and several moons. He also discovered the growing Great Dark Spot above Neptune.
Ranking of the planets in the Solar System in order of their proximity to the Sun:
- Mercury
- Venus
- World
- Anthem
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
As we mentioned above, Mercury is the farthest planet from the Sun with approximately 58 million kilometers. This minor planet has the thinnest atmosphere of any planet, as it is very close to the Sun. Located at an average distance of 108 million kilometers from the Sun, Venus is the second closest planet. Earth is the third closest planet to the Sun at 149.60 million kilometers.
Mars, which has been the subject of many studies in recent years, is the fourth closest planet with 228 million km. However, since it is so far from the Goldilock Zone (Have Zone), it is predicted that life cannot develop like on Earth. Jupiter, the fifth closest planet from the Sun at 778 million km, indirectly has some protection from asteroids to seven planets, including Earth. Located 1.4 billion km from the Sun, Saturn is the sixth closest planet. Uranus is right next to it at 2.9 billion km. Located at a distance of 2.8 billion from the Sun, Neptune is the farthest and coldest planet in the Solar System.
So how are all these measurements made?
‘Astronomical Unit’ is used to describe the average distance between a planet and the Sun. This distance is about 150 million kilometers, which is equal to about 499 light seconds (the distance light travels in 499 seconds in vacuum). The distance from the Earth to the Sun is accepted as 1 AU.
The distances of the planets in the solar system from the Sun are constantly changing, as they depend on their orbits and gravity. That is, these distances are determined according to the averages. Today, various techniques and mathematical methods are used to measure these distances.
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