: I just learned that mercury is in fact the closest planet to the earth. What is this madness and since when?

Question

: I just learned that mercury is in fact the closest planet to the earth. What is this madness and since when?

In: 3690

Answer 1

A planet’s year is how long it takes to go around the sun. Earth’s year is 365 and a bit earth days long, while Mercury’s is about 88 earth days and Venus’s is about 225 days. This means that after an earth year, Mercury & Earth will be back at their starting position, while Venus is about half way around the sun, putting Mercury much closer to Earth than Venus.