Planet Temperatures
1 2016-04-05T10:08:12+00:00 Brock Earth Sciences 443498efbb7251f48d0d638e5c57b8774f100004 14 1 In general, the surface temperature of the planets decreases with increasing distance from the Sun. Venus is an exception because its dense atmosphere acts as a greenhouse and heats the surface to above the melting point of lead (3280C). Mercury rotates slowly and has a thin atmosphere, and consequently, the nightside temperature can be more than 5000C lower than the dayside temperature shown on the diagram. Temperatures for the gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are shown at a level in the atmosphere equal in pressure to sea level on Earth. Temperatures are in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, and the planets are not shown to scale. *Image Credit*: Lunar and Planetary Institute plain 2016-04-05T10:08:12+00:00 Internet Archive SPD-SLRSY-169 image What -- Earth What -- Neptune What -- Uranus Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Exploration What -- Saturn What -- Jupiter What -- Mercury What -- Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) What -- Venus What -- Sun Planets Brock Earth Sciences 443498efbb7251f48d0d638e5c57b8774f100004This page is referenced by:
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Orbits, Rotation and Temperature
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All planets orbit the Sun in the same sense:
Each planet rotates and the axis and sense of rotation of these planets is very similar. With the exception of Venus, Uranus and Pluto, the rotation axes of the planets are approximately parallel to the rotation axis of the sun and the sense of rotation is the same as illustrated in this image.
As you might expect, planetary temperature decreases with increasing distance from the Sun. The farther from the Sun the planet, the colder it is. The big exception to that rule is Venus as illustrated in the graphic below (For comparison, the temperature to melt lead is 327.5˚C). We'll discuss that later. The temperatures in the graphic below of the gas and ice giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are taken from a level in the atmosphere equal in pressure to sea level on Earth.
There are also lots of objects besides planets in the solar system, as we'll see next.
