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Which is the hottest planet?
Posted on: 02/Jun/2017 3:25:03 PM
Our solar system total comprises of 8 planets each one revolving around the sun at varied distance. The third of all planets is called Goldilocks Zone which means that it is neither too cold nor too hot. It is rather mediocre. So, lives can thrive on earth, as the temperature is ideal for lives with enough supply of water which is among the primary elements for living on planet earth. We cannot guess the temperature of a planet just by seeing it, however we can guess it to some extent.
Mars:
The planet Mars is red in color. This is said to be the hottest of all planets of the solar system. However, it is not that it is the hottest just because of its red color. The planet closest to the sun is Mercury and hence it receives a lot of heat, however this again is not the hottest of all planets. Venus planet is the second closes to the sun and is at the temperature 462 degree Celsius. This is the hottest of all planets in the entire solar system.
So, why is Venus hotter as compared to Mercury? There is no atmosphere in Mercury planet (atmosphere can hold heat and trap it within). The heat received in planet Mercury is received from the Sun and it gets soon lost into space. In fact, Venus and Earth are similar in size. However, because of the thick carbon-di-oxide atmosphere, it becomes difficult for us to view Venus planet. It is because of this thick atmosphere that the planet is too hot, as there is no way for heat to escape into the space. It has got a very powerful atmosphere such that the pressure is 92 times more than what you experience on sea level at beach.
Runaway greenhouse effect:
In Venus planet, runaway greenhouse effect is observed. What is that? It is a kind of trap that does not allow heat outside because of carbon-dioxide levels. When too much carbon dioxide gets absorbed in the atmosphere, it results this way without any space for the heat to escape.
Scientists across the world are too skeptical about a mission to Venus planet. It is guessed that the planet would swallow down everything sent to Venus even before the technology passes on information to us.
The journey to Venus:
A few missions were sent to Venus by Soviets of which the first few of them drastically failed. At last, in 1981, Venera 13 mission was a success. It penetrated deep into the hot layers of atmosphere and entered the surface of land. For about 127 minutes, it coped with the heat without getting burnt. It had shared color photos of the Venus planet’s surface. The transmission got stopped when Venera 13 got melted at last.
In the year 1990, NASA was able to send Magellan probe to the Venus. With the help of radar, they could map the surface. There were several plains and highlands and lowlands.
