The Greenhouse Effect

You remember the greenhouse effect from middle school. Gases in a planet’s atmosphere trap heat and insulate the planet. Here are the conditions in the atmosphere of the four inner planets:

Mercury

No atmosphere

Venus

Thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide

Earth

Moderate atmosphere

Mars

Very thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide

Atmosphere plays a VERY important role in the temperature of a planet. The atmosphere of Venus traps a great deal of solar energy as heat, warming the planet to a very high temperature.