Skip to main content

Mind-bending model shows Venus isn’t our nearest neighbor — it’s Mercury

A highly stylized rendition of our solar system NASA/JPL

If someone asked which planet was closest to Earth, you’d be pretty certain — it’s Venus. We measure distances in the solar system in terms of Astronomical Units (AU), where 1 AU is the distance between Earth and the Sun. So, with a orbit distance of 0.72 AU, you’d assume that Venus is just 0.28 AU away from us, right? Even NASA’s public information website says that Venus is our closest planetary neighbor.

Recommended Videos

But if that’s what you said then you’d be wrong, according to a new article in Physics Today. The authors argue that these measurements calculate the average distance of planets from the Sun, but they don’t take into account all of the time that the planets spend moving away from each other. They say the traditional model is “simple but wrong,” so they designed a new mathematical model which takes into account the movement of the planets relative to each other as well as to the Sun.

Using this model, they found the distance between two orbiting bodies is proportional to the radius of the inner orbit. “In other words,” the article explains, “Mercury is closer to Earth, on average, than Venus is because it orbits the Sun more closely.”

If you’re wondering how that works, it’s true that Venus is the closest planet to Earth when at its nearest point, as no other planet comes closer to us, but at times Venus and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun and are 1.72 AU apart. When we consider the average distance between planets over time then our closet neighbor is actually Mercury which orbits at 0.39 AU.

Credit: Tom Stockman/Gabriel Monroe/Samuel Cordner

OK, sure, that makes sense. Mercury has a small orbit so we spend time close to it more often. But here’s the mind-bending part: Mercury is actually the closest planet to every other planet in the solar system, including Neptune and even quasi-planet Pluto. The same stipulations apply to other planets as they do to Earth — Mercury’s tiny orbit makes it closer on average to all other planets, as you can see in the table of average distances at the bottom of the article.

A simulation of the movements of bodies in the solar system was run for 10,000 years, and the traditional way of thinking about distances between planets gave results that differed from the simulation by up to 300 percent. The new method gave results that deviated by less than 1 percent, making it undeniably more accurate.

So next time someone asks which is the nearest planet to us, you’ll be in the know: it’s Mercury, as proven by mathematics.

Mercury is the closest planet to all seven other planets
Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more