Nearest planet to the earth _____.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Mercury
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, the question has two possible answers, i.e. both Option (1) and Option (2), as explained below.
“Nearest” can be measured in two ways, and each gives a different planet.
Mercury — nearest on average over time
Mercury moves in a small orbit close to the Sun, so it never goes very far from the Earth.
Venus spends long periods on the far side of the Sun, up to about 260 million km away.
Averaged over the years, Mercury is the closest planet to the Earth; this is the answer given by NTA.
Venus — nearest at its closest approach
Venus’s orbit is next to the Earth’s, and at its closest it comes within about 38 million km, nearer than any other planet ever comes.
School textbooks call Venus the Earth’s nearest planet (and its ‘twin’) in this sense.
Tip for students: If both readings of a question can be defended, mark the one you can back with a clear reason, and if NTA’s key differs, raise it when NTA opens the window for challenges.