The Coldest and Iciest Places In Our Solar System

The Coldest and Iciest Places In Our Solar System - Sun is main source of heat energy not only for The Earth but to all planets and heavenly bodies of our Solar system. It's a common concept that that the remoteness from the Sun decides the temperature of planets and moons. But below mentioned list might not agree with that and you may be surprised to know that the Most Coldest thing in our solar system is not Paluto. 

Actually many factors determine the temperature of a planet or moon in our solar system. Atmosphere, Physique, Geological features and many others.

Mars Polar Ice Caps

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

When humans will start inhabiting Mars someday, Santa Claus can effortlessly set up shop on our red next-door neighbour. Mars has two polar ice caps—a northern and southern one—that develop and shrink subject to the season. During the wintertime, the poles get completely no sun, and the subsequent drop in temperature freezes both water into ice and carbon dioxide into “dry ice.” Kris Kringle will be glad to see that the north polar cap is the larger of the two poles, covering approximately 685 miles throughout its winter season.

Temperature: -238 F

Encludes

Image Credits: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

For hard-core skiers in need of new land to overcome, Saturn’s sixth biggest moon, “Enceladus”, may be the perfect place for striking the interstellar slopes. Concealed in miles of ice, Enceladus is home to several geysers, which throw away ice particles into the air above the moon's surface. The outcome is to some degree like snowfall as the ice particles drop back to the ground, covering Enceladus in very fine ice crystals. Paul Schenk of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston notes the "snow" would create for great skiing circumstances! The only problem? There’s just not plenty of it built up on the surface yet. Give it about twenty millions of years or so, and the slopes will be loaded high.

Temperature: -330 F

Titan

Image Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/LPGNantes

Saturn’s biggest moon, Titan, is acknowledged for its active range of volcanoes. But rather than discharge lava, these volcanoes discharge icy water and methane. They’re called “Cryovolcanoes”, and scientists theorize that these “ice volcanoes” are the reason behind methane in Titan’s atmosphere. Methane clouds on Titan, like the one shown above, look like the rain and snow clouds present on Earth. They form through cycles of vaporization and condensation. And just like Earth clouds, they precipitate—but with methane in place of water. Hurrah for methane snow days!

Temperature: -291 F 

Europa

Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute

Jupiter’s moon Europa is believed to be one huge ocean enclosed in any icy red-and-white shell. At its center, Europa is possibly made of iron with a rocky mantle, but above the rock lays a massive salt-water ocean that’s probably 10 times as deep as Earth’s oceans and possibly home to extraterrestrial life. Just like an icy lake on Earth, frozen icy exterior guards the oceans from the cold, letting it to be in liquid form. Yet you wouldn’t have to worry about sinking through this ice sheet. Though researchers haven’t come to a consent on the thickness of Europa’s icy shell, professionals approximate it could be somewhere from a few miles to 62 miles deep. It would be flawless for ice skating, if only it weren't so cold.

Temperature: Between -256 and -364 F

Triton

Image Credits: NASA/JPL/Universities Space Research Association/Lunar & Planetary Institute

The biggest of Neptune’s 13 moons, “Triton” is one of the coldest things in our solar system. Also has icy volcanoes, the moon’s exterior belches out a combination of liquid nitrogen, methane, and dust, all of which freeze instantaneously in the air. The snowflakes then snow back down to Triton’s surface, which typically comprise of frozen nitrogen. An almost non-existent atmosphere doesn't aid to control the freezing temperatures.

Temperature: -391 F

Uranus

Image Credits: NASA/JPL

Even though Neptune, the outermost planet from the sun, is pretty damn cold (-360 F), Uranus receives the award for being our solar system’s coldest planet. The lowest temperature ever documented on Uranus was -371 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers aren’t precisely sure why Uranus, which is more than a billion miles nearer to our star than Neptune, claims colder temperatures, but some specialists have faith in the planet’s odd alignment or energetic atmosphere are the reason behind the loss of heat.

Pluto

NASA

At an enormous 3.6 billion miles from the sun, Pluto is one of the coldest huge bodies in the solar system. The small dwarf planet practices a wide range of cold temperatures because to its elliptical orbit, changing between -375 and -400 degrees Fahrenheit. But, it lost its award of “Coldest Planet” when it was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006.

The Moon

Image Credits: NASA/Sean Smith

Ironically, the coldest identified place in our solar system is much nearer to home than you might think. Defeating even Pluto, the Moon is home to the iciest perpetual temperature: -400 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2009, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered that temperatures in some of the Moon’s basins extremely low, as the craters’ large borders block sunlight from reaching their centres. It absolutely gets cold there in that shadow.

Source: Popular Science