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A simple question for the Twittersphere ...
Which planet is closest to Earth?
(No googling!)
#CelestialMechanicsQuiz
Which planet is closest to Earth?
(No googling!)
#CelestialMechanicsQuiz
With 2,513 votes in, and many comments asking "when!?" we can confirm that:
Mercury is the closest planet to Earth on average
(although Venus is closest at this very moment)
Mercury is the closest planet to Earth on average
(although Venus is closest at this very moment)
How could this be possible?
Remember that planets are always in motion, travelling in huge ellipses and getting closer and further from each other all the time
Mercury travels in the smallest orbit of all the planets, meaning it never gets as far away
Remember that planets are always in motion, travelling in huge ellipses and getting closer and further from each other all the time
Mercury travels in the smallest orbit of all the planets, meaning it never gets as far away
Not only is Mercury the closest planet to Earth (most of the time), its also closest to Mars, Jupiter and, well, all the planets of the Solar System!
This video from @cgpgrey explains very well
This video from @cgpgrey explains very well
