Spectrum #83: Order these planets by length of day — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from November 5, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, shortest day to longest day, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these planets by length of day, shortest day at the top and longest day at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Mercury
- Jupiter
- Earth
- Mars
- Neptune
- Saturn
Nothing was in its place; Mercury opened 5 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Jupiter is the shortest day of the six at 10 hours and Mercury the longest day at 1,408 hours. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Mars (25 hours) and Mercury (1,408 hours) — 1,383 hours apart. Everything above that line belongs on the shortest day side and everything below it on the longest day side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Jupiter (10 hours) and Saturn (11 hours) are only 1 hours apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Shortest day to Longest day | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jupiter | 10 hours |
| 2 | Saturn | 11 hours |
| 3 | Neptune | 16 hours |
| 4 | Earth | 24 hours |
| 5 | Mars | 25 hours |
| 6 | Mercury | 1,408 hours |
Previous: Spectrum #82 (Wed, Nov 4) · Next: Spectrum #84 (Fri, Nov 6) · All Spectrum solutions
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.