Mercury
Explanation
The orbital period of a planet-the time taken to complete one revolution around the Sun-is directly related to its distance from the Sun. According to Kepler's laws of planetary motion, planets closer to the Sun travel faster and have shorter orbital paths.- Mercury: Being the closest planet to the Sun, Mercury experiences the strongest gravitational pull, causing it to move the fastest. It completes one revolution in approximately 88 Earth days.
- Venus: It takes approximately 225 days to complete one orbit around the Sun.
- Earth: It takes approximately 365.25 days to complete one revolution.
- Mars: It takes approximately 687 days to orbit the Sun.
Key Takeaway: Mercury has the shortest orbital period in the solar system (88 days) because it is the closest planet to the Sun.