{"id":"818480f9-9f41-4e57-a247-b9711d5ff4a1","url":"https://www.livescience.com/space/venus/why-is-venus-hotter-than-mercury-when-mercury-is-closer-to-the-sun","domain":"livescience.com","outlet":{"name":"Live Science","country":"US","cred":3,"lean":0,"curated":true},"title":"Why is Venus hotter than Mercury, when Mercury is closer to the sun?","plainHeadline":"Venus is hotter than Mercury due to its thick CO2 atmosphere and heat-trapping effects.","rewrite":{"model":null,"at":null},"summary":["Venus, though farther from the Sun, reaches about 900°F (480°C) on its surface.","Mercury's max temperature is around 800°F (430°C) due to almost no atmosphere.","Venus' dense carbon dioxide atmosphere traps heat, creating a strong greenhouse effect.","Cloud cover reflects about three-quarters of sunlight, with only ~3% reaching Venus' surface.","The planet's warmth is sustained by atmospheric processes, not just solar proximity."],"topics":["Science","Environment","Space"],"lang":"eng","publishedAt":"2026-09-12T09:00:00.000Z","ingestedAt":"2026-09-12T09:36:37.867Z","story":"https://brief.concise.news/story/dc4d712b-c2ff-465f-834f-f9fe84641179","storyId":"dc4d712b-c2ff-465f-834f-f9fe84641179","image":"https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sgqA5cm3JAdXuJBufgrUf9-1280-80.png","author":"Olivia Maule","dek":"Despite being farther from the sun, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system, and the reason has little to do with proximity to a star."}