Why Is Venus Hotter than Mercury Even Farther Out?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why is Venus hotter than Mercury even farther out?

The Big Idea

Venus is hotter than Mercury because it's wrapped in a very thick blanket of carbon dioxide gas! That traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect. So distance isn't the only thermostat. An atmosphere can beat nearness!

Thick Gas Blanket

Step one: Venus has a thick atmosphere. It's mostly carbon dioxide, and it presses down about 90 times harder than Earth's air. It's also covered in clouds of acid, which is not nice!

Trapped Heat

Step two: heat gets trapped. Sunlight reaches the ground and warms it up. The gas then holds onto that heat, like glass in a greenhouse, and it can't escape.

Hotter Than Mercury

Step three: the hottest planet. The surface of Venus is about 465 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead. Mercury is closer to the Sun, but Venus is hotter day and night!

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at Venus! Thick clouds cover the entire planet. Carbon dioxide gas fills the air. That gas traps the heat from the Sun. The result is the hottest planet in the solar system!

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Venus is nearly the same size as Earth. A day on Venus is longer than its year! Venus spins backward compared to most planets. Do the jar test only with a grown-up, and never use a parked car.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up, put one thermometer inside a lidded jar and one beside it in the sun. Wait 15 minutes, then compare them. The jar traps heat like Venus does! Never use a parked car. It gets dangerously hot.

Outro

Trapped heat made Venus a scorcher. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!