Question

Which is the hottest planet of the Solar system?
A) Mercury
B) Neptune
C) Jupiter
D) Venus

Answer 1

Hint: Venus is hotter than Mercury because it has a much thicker atmosphere. Mercury is closer to the Sun but it has a very thin atmosphere and all the heat trapped goes out in space, while Venus with its much thicker atmosphere holds all the heat it gets.

Complete step by step answer:
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets. Its thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.
It is blanketed with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide – the gas that we breathe out. This atmosphere is so dense that walking through would be like wading through water.
Venus is even hotter than Mercury due to the greenhouse effect. Venus has an atmosphere about ninety times thicker than that of Earth, and made almost entirely of Carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide traps most of the heat from the Sun. The cloud layers also act as a blanket. The result is a “runaway greenhouse effect” that has caused the planet’s temperature to soar to 465°C, hot enough to melt lead.
On the other hand, Mercury has almost no atmosphere to hold in heat and keep the surface warm, which is why Mercury being closest to the Sun is not the hottest planet in the Solar system.

Additional information:
Venus and Earth are often called twins because they are similar in size, mass, density, composition and gravity. The size of Venus is only a little smaller than our home planet, with a mass that's about 80% of Earth's.
The interior of Venus is made of a metallic iron core that's roughly 2,400 miles (6,000 km) wide. Venus' molten rocky mantle is roughly 1,200 miles (3,000 km) thick. Venus' crust is mostly basalt, and is estimated to be 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 km) thick, on average.

Note:
After attempting this question, students must remember that:
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system.
The atmosphere of Venus consists of a thick blanket of carbon dioxide.
Venus and Earth are often called twins because they are similar in size, mass, density, composition and gravity.