2006-12-21 17:10:14 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It is normally Mars or Venus that is closest to us, BUT when Venus and Mars are BOTH on the far side of the Sun from us, then Mercury will temporarily be the nearest planet to us, wherever it is in its orbit.
However, Jupiter can never be the closest to us as Mercury, even if on the far side of the Sun from us, will always be closer to us than Jupiter ever gets, as inspection of the following table makes clear
MERCURY Perihelion: 0.31 AU. Aphelion: 0.47 AU
VENUS Perihelion: 0.72 AU. Aphelion: 0.73 AU
EARTH Perihelion: 0.98 AU. Aphelion: 1.01 AU
MARS Perihelion: 1.38 AU. Aphelion: 1.66 AU
JUPITER Perihelion: 4.95 AU. Aphelion: 5.45 AU
From which we can see that
Minimum Mercury-Earth distance = 0.51 AU
Minimum Venus-Earth distance = 0.25 AU
Minimum Mars-Earth distance = 0.37 AU
Maximum Mercury-Earth distance = 1.48 AU
Maximum Venus-Earth distance = 1.74 AU
Maximum Mars-Earth distance = 2.67 AU
Mininimum Jupiter-Earth distance = 3.94 AU
2006-12-22 03:52:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
For those who think the Moon is a planet ...
A HISTORICAL NOTE
The Moon (and the Sun) was regarded as a planet up till 1543 when Copernicus published his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) which laid the basus for the heliocentric system in which all the planets (he earth included) went round the Sun,
The earth stopped being the centre of the universe and became a planet, the Sun stopped being a planet and became a star and the Moon, as it did NOT go round the Sun, which was the new definiion of a planet obviously could no longer be regarded as a planet any more.
So the Moon has not been thought of as a planet for some 463 years now ...
2006-12-25 19:05:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Venus is the closest to Earth. However, sometimes Mars or other planets could be closer to Earth than the other planets because the planets are rarely ever aligned in their orbits.
2006-12-22 01:18:18 · answer #3 · answered by Miles P 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The answer changes.
Sometimes Earth is very close to Mars, sometimes to Venus.
Unless you're asking about General Orbits and not "Current Distance."
So Venus may be closest in orbit.
2006-12-22 01:14:32 · answer #4 · answered by jbtascam 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Venus
2006-12-22 01:14:02 · answer #5 · answered by CyberCop 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Somethimes is Venus and somethimes is Mars! But the Moon is closest! It is also a planet!
2006-12-22 13:30:41 · answer #6 · answered by xXx - Twisted Whispers - xXx 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Either Mars or Venus.
2006-12-22 02:27:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Venus in both size and distance.
2006-12-22 02:55:16 · answer #8 · answered by NeckLover 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
venus
2006-12-22 01:13:00 · answer #9 · answered by wind cries mary 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
VENUS
2006-12-22 12:08:39 · answer #10 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋