• Question: Which planet has the shortest year/day and why?

    Asked by Tanko to Andrea, Charlie 🚀, Col Op, Kirsty, Vinita on 17 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Kirsty Lindsay

      Kirsty Lindsay answered on 17 Jun 2016:

      Well years are the orbital duration of a planet going around the sun once, so Mercury has the shortest year ( only 88 Earth days).

      Days are how long it takes for a planet to make 1 rotation around it’s axis- so Jupiter has the shortest day, taking a little under 10 hours to make 1 rotation.

    • Photo: Charles Laing

      Charles Laing answered on 17 Jun 2016:

      Hi Tanko,

      Jupiter has the shortest day at about 10 hours as it spins the fastest.

      Mercury has the shortest year at 88 Earth days as it is closest to the sun and can travel around it the quickest (one year is the time a planet takes to go around the sun once)!

      Charlie 😀🚀

    • Photo: Andrea Boyd

      Andrea Boyd answered on 17 Jun 2016:

      What Kirsty and Charlie said 🙂

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