Here's What The Sun Looks Like From Every Planet

The appearance of the sun from different planets is affected by several factors, including the distance of each planet from the sun, the size of each planet's atmosphere, and the presence of dust or clouds in each planet's atmosphere. For example, from Mercury, the sun appears much larger and brighter in the sky compared to when viewed from Earth, due to its closer proximity to the sun. On the other hand, from a planet with a thick atmosphere, like Venus, the sun may appear hazy or distorted due to the filtering effect of the atmosphere.

But which view of the sun is the best?

We'll let you decide...

 

Mercury

 

From Mercury, the sun would appear much larger in the sky compared to when viewed from Earth. This is due to Mercury's close proximity to the sun, which is about 58 million km compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun would also be much brighter, and its light would have a more intense effect on the planet's surface. Additionally, because Mercury has no significant atmosphere to scatter sunlight, the sun would appear very sharp and well-defined in the sky.

 

Venus

 

From Venus, the sun would appear hazy and distorted due to the filtering effect of its thick atmosphere. Venus has a highly reflective atmosphere composed mainly of sulfuric acid, which would scatter and reflect a significant amount of sunlight, making the sun appear less defined and surrounded by a bright halo. Additionally, the thick clouds of sulfuric acid in Venus's atmosphere would further obscure the view of the sun and potentially cast a yellowish or orange hue on the planet's surface. The sun's brightness and visibility on Venus would be influenced by the planet's rotation and the location of its thick cloud cover

 

 

Earth (Solar Eclipse)

 

From Earth, the sun appears as a bright, yellow-white disk in the sky. The sun's appearance from Earth is affected by several factors, including Earth's distance from the sun, its atmosphere, and the time of day. Earth's atmosphere acts as a filter, scattering some of the blue light and allowing more of the yellow and red light to reach the surface, which contributes to the sun's yellow-white appearance. The sun also appears smaller in the sky than it would from closer planets because of its distance from Earth. Finally, the sun's position in the sky and its brightness can change throughout the day as Earth rotates, giving the illusion of the sun rising and setting. Overall, the appearance of the sun from Earth is a complex interplay of astronomical and atmospheric factors.

 

 

On Earth, the atmosphere is made up of tiny gas molecules, largely nitrogen and oxygen, which are more effective at scattering — that is absorbing and re-emitting in a different direction — short wavelength light, like blue and violet, than it is longer red wavelengths. The selective type of scattering caused by small molecules is called Rayleigh scattering. It gives us a blue sky at midday, but at sunset and sunrise, when the sunlight must travel farther, more of the blue light gets scattered away; it’s the longer red and yellow wavelengths that reach our line of sight, creating the vibrant shades of red that we see. 

 

Mars

 

From Mars, the sun would appear slightly smaller and less bright compared to when viewed from Earth. This is due to Mars's greater distance from the sun, which is about 225 million km compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun's light would have a slightly redder hue due to the dust and iron oxide in Mars's atmosphere, which would scatter and absorb more of the blue light. This effect would be most pronounced during dust storms, when the amount of dust in the atmosphere is significantly increased. Overall, the sun would appear as a smaller, reddish disk in the sky from Mars.

 

Jupiter’s moon Europa

 

From Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, the sun would appear very small and faint in the sky due to its great distance from the sun. Europa is located about 946 million km from the sun, compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun's light would also have to pass through the thin atmosphere of Europa, which would scatter and absorb some of the light, further reducing its brightness and size in the sky. The sun would likely appear as a very small, white or yellow-white disk in the sky from Europa. However, it's important to note that the exact appearance of the sun from Europa would depend on the current position of Jupiter and its other moons, which could potentially block or reflect sunlight.

 

 

Saturn

 

From Saturn, the sun would appear much smaller and less bright compared to when viewed from Earth. This is due to Saturn's greater distance from the sun, which is about 1.4 billion km compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun's light would also have to pass through Saturn's atmosphere, which would scatter and absorb some of the light, further reducing its brightness and size in the sky. The sun would likely appear as a small, white or yellow-white disk in the sky from Saturn. However, the exact appearance of the sun from Saturn would depend on the current position of the planet and its moons, which could potentially block or reflect sunlight.

 

 

Uranus’s moon Ariel

 

From Ariel, one of Uranus's moons, the sun would appear very small and faint in the sky, similar to how it would appear from Rhea, one of Saturn's moons. Ariel is located about 2.7 billion km from the sun, compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun's light would also have to pass through Ariel's thin atmosphere, which would scatter and absorb some of the light, reducing its brightness and size in the sky. The sun would likely appear as a small, white or yellow-white disk in the sky from Ariel. However, the exact appearance of the sun from Ariel would depend on the current position of Uranus and its other moons, which could potentially block or reflect sunlight.

From Neptune’s moon Triton :

 

From Triton, one of Neptune's moons, the sun would appear very small and faint in the sky, similar to how it would appear from Ariel, one of Uranus's moons. Triton is located about 4.5 billion km from the sun, compared to Earth's 149.6 million km. The sun's light would also have to pass through Triton's thin atmosphere, which would scatter and absorb some of the light, reducing its brightness and size in the sky. The sun would likely appear as a small, white or yellow-white disk in the sky from Triton. However, the exact appearance of the sun from Triton would depend on the current position of Neptune and its other moons, which could potentially block or reflect sunlight.

 

Pluto