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Solar System Temperatures

Thermometer with planets lined up next to it from hot to cold.

Source: NASA/Lunar and Planetary Institute

Published: January 30, 2018

This graphic shows the average temperatures of various destinations in our solar system. (Planets not to scale)

In general, the surface temperatures 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, about 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius).

Mercury rotates slowly and has a thin atmosphere, and consequently, the night-side temperature can be more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit lower than the day-side temperature shown on the diagram. It can be as cold as -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-179 degrees Celsius) on Mercury at night.

Temperatures for 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.

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