A newly resurfaced 2023 study, updated this month, is challenging conventional wisdom about planetary proximity in our solar system. Researchers have resolute that mercury, rather than Venus, is-on average-the closest planet to all others, including Earth and the distant Neptune. The findings, stemming from a decade-long simulation using a novel mathematical approach, could refine existing models of solar system formation and planetary dynamics, and are prompting a reevaluation of how we understand interplanetary relationships.
A new study challenges long-held assumptions about planetary proximity, revealing that Mercury is, on average, the closest planet to nearly all others in our solar system – including Earth and Neptune. Understanding the relationships between planets helps scientists refine models of solar system formation and dynamics.
Researchers from NASA, the Los Alamos National Observatory, and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center arrived at this surprising conclusion after conducting extensive computer simulations spanning 10,000 years. These simulations tracked the average distances between the eight planets in our solar system over vast stretches of time.
Traditionally, Venus has been considered Earth’s closest planetary neighbor due to its proximity in orbit. However, the new research demonstrates that Mercury more frequently occupies the position of closest planet to Earth than either Venus or Mars.
The discrepancy, researchers explain, stems from previous methods of calculating planetary distances, which focused solely on the closest possible approach at a single point in time. This latest study employed a mathematical approach called the point-circle method (PCM), which treats planetary orbits as concentric circles within a single plane.
Using PCM, the team identified a pattern they termed the “whirly-dirly corollary.” This principle suggests that the smaller a planet’s orbital radius, the smaller its average distance to other planets will be. Because Mercury’s orbital radius – approximately 0.39 AU – is smaller than Venus’s (0.72 AU), it more often finds itself in close proximity to other planets.
Perhaps even more unexpectedly, the study also found that Mercury is the closest planet, on average, to Neptune. Despite Neptune’s location at the outer edge of the solar system, its average distance to Mercury is less than its average distance to Uranus, Saturn, or Jupiter.
The simulations confirm that Mercury’s small size and rapid orbit contribute to its frequent positioning near other planets over extended periods. This principle applies to all seven other planets in the solar system.
Researchers emphasize that these findings do not alter the physical arrangement of the planets in our solar system. Instead, the study highlights the importance of employing accurate calculation methods when discussing interplanetary distances to avoid misconceptions.
The article, originally published in 2023 and updated in December 2025, has recently gained renewed attention on social media, with many expressing surprise at the inaccuracy of their previously held beliefs about which planet is “closest.”
This discovery serves as a reminder that in astronomy, long-term average measurements can reveal a different picture than instantaneous observations. Mathematically, even though Mercury is physically distant from Earth at times, it remains the planetary neighbor most often found near our orbit.
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