Solar System Temps: Who's Hot, Who's Cold, and Who’s Just Wild?

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The eight planets in our solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – have wildly different temperatures, with Pluto now officially a dwarf planet. While proximity to the Sun plays a big role in their temperatures, each planet has its own quirks that make its climate unique.

Venus takes the lead with its scorching surface temperatures that exceed the melting point of lead. Thanks to its thick atmosphere, Venus is a true greenhouse gas powerhouse. Meanwhile, Mercury is in a whole different league with its extreme temperature swings – day temperatures can soar over 800°F, while nighttime temps dive to -290°F, according to NASA.

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune's temperatures are measured based on their atmospheres at sea level pressure. But it's the Sun, of course, that steals the show. The Sun’s core is sizzling hot, reaching temperatures of 27 million°F (15 million°C), while the photosphere (its surface) is a much cooler 10,000°F (5,500°C). The Sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, defies all expectations by being way hotter than the surface, reaching a mind-blowing 3.5 million°F (2 million°C).

NASA has ranked the planets based on their average temperatures, showing that as you get farther from the Sun, temperatures drop dramatically. From the sweltering heat of Venus to the icy chill of Neptune, the planets reveal the extremes of our solar system.