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Which planet has the shortest year?
spaceplanets
Quick Answer
Mercury, which races around the Sun in just 88 Earth days.
The Full Story
Mercury has the shortest year of any planet, completing one orbit of the Sun in only about 88 Earth days. As the closest planet to the Sun, it also travels fastest, moving at an average of about 47 kilometres per second. Its day, however, is extremely long: one full day-night cycle on Mercury, from sunrise to sunrise, takes about 176 Earth days, twice as long as its year. Mercury is named after the swift-footed messenger of the Roman gods. At the other extreme, Neptune takes about 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun.
Key Facts
1.Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits of the Sun.
2.Daytime temperatures on Mercury reach about 430°C, while nights drop to around −180°C.
3.The BepiColombo mission is due to enter orbit around Mercury in the mid-2020s.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"A year shorter than a day — the strange clock of Mercury"