It’s Getting Hot in Here, So Take Off… The Whole Planet?

“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” -D.H. Lawrence
Here in our Solar System, the planet closest to our Sun is Mercury, speeding around in a complete orbit once every 88 days, with daytime temperatures reaching a sweltering 400° C, or around 800° F.
(Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University / Carnegie Institute of Washington.)
With its size, temperatures, and distance from the Sun, Mercury has had its entire atmosphere stripped away by the Sun. And while these temperatures might seem hot, in comparison with what we experience on Earth, remember that Mercury is still a whopping 46 million kilometers away from the Sun. And that’s at its closest! Compared to the diameter of the Sun itself, the size of Mercury’s orbit is more than thirty times as large.
(Image credit: Ryan at the Martian Chronicles.)
But not every solar system in the Universe is like ours. In fact, a select few of them have planets so close to their parent stars that they’re only a couple of solar radii away. Fortunately for us, planets like this are the easiest type to find, ...