12 Eye-Opening Facts That Will Redefine Your Understanding of the Cosmos (6 of 7)

Neptune has only completed one orbit around the Sun since its discovery

Since its discovery in 1846, Neptune has completed just one orbit around the Sun. This distant ice giant, located billions of kilometers from Earth, boasts the longest orbital period of any planet in our solar system, taking approximately 165 Earth years to complete a single revolution around the Sun. Neptune’s slow journey through space highlights the ridiculously vast scales and patient rhythms of celestial motion.

A day on Mercury is twice as long as its year

Mercury has got a time warp! While we experience a day-night cycle every 24 hours, a day on Mercury takes a silly 176 Earth days to complete. This is because Mercury’s rotation is incredibly slooooow, making its year (one full trip around the Sun) shorter than its day! So, on Mercury, you could watch the sunrise, bake for months under the relentless sun, and then… wait even longer for it to set again.