A year on Earth is approximately 365 days. Why is that considered a year? Well, 365 days is about how long it takes for Earth to orbit all the way around the Sun one time.
It’s not exactly this simple though. An Earth year is actually about 365 days, plus approximately 6 hours.
All of the other planets in our solar system also orbit the Sun. So, how long is a year on those planets? Well, it depends on where they are orbiting!
Planets that orbit closer to the Sun than Earth have shorter years than Earth. Planets that orbit farther from the Sun than Earth have longer years than Earth.
This happens for two main reasons.
If a planet is close to the Sun, the distance it orbits around the Sun is fairly short. This distance is called an orbital path.
The closer a planet travels to the Sun, the more the Sun’s gravity can pull on the planet. The stronger the pull of the Sun’s gravity, the faster the planet orbits.
Credit: NASA
