Planet Venus

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It is the second brightest object
in the night sky after the Moon. It has no natural satellite. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of 4.6, bright
enough to cast shadows. Because Venus is an inferior planet from Earth, it never appears to venture far from the
Sun: its elongation reaches a maximum of 47.8.Venus reaches its maximum brightness shortly before sunrise or
shortly after sunset, for which reason it has been referred to by ancient cultures as the Morning Star or Evening Star.
Venus is the second largest terrestrial. The surface of the planet is obscured by an opaque layer of clouds made up of
sulfuric acid.
Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" because of their similar size,
gravity, and bulk composition (Venus is both the closest planet to Earth and the planet closest in size to Earth).
However, it has also been shown to be very different from Earth in other respects. It has the densest atmosphere of
the four terrestrial planets, consisting of more than 96% carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure at the planet's
surface is 92 times that of Earth's. With a mean surface temperature of 735 K (462 C; 863 F), Venus is by far the
hottest planet in the Solar. It has no carbon cycle to lock carbon back into rocks and surface features, nor does it
seem to have any organic life to absorb it in biomass. Venus is shrouded by an opaque layer of highly reflective
clouds of sulfuric acid, preventing its surface from being seen from space invisible light. Venus may have possessed
oceans in the past,
[13][14]
but these would have vaporized as the temperature rose due to a runaway greenhouse
effect.
[15]
The water has most probably photo dissociated, and, because of the lack of a planetary magnetic field, the
free hydrogen has been swept into interplanetary space by the solar wind.
[16]
Venus's surface is a dry deserts cape
interspersed with slab-like rocks and periodically refreshed by volcanism.
The planet Venus, named for the roman goddess of love, is often referred to as Earth's Twin or Earth's
Sister. But, Venus does not bare much of a visual resemblance to Earth, so why is it called Earth's sister?
From a strictly physical perspective Venus is roughly the same size, density and composition as our planet.
It orbits at a similar distance from our Sun, and at its creation would have appeared nearly indistinguishable from
Earth. As the two planets evolved over time however, they became vastly different. Ultimately, Earth's sister was
molded into a desolate and unforgiving world.
Location
At nearly 108,209,000 kilometers, Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and is Earth's nearest neighbor (besides
our Moon). In fact, Venus is so close, and so bright (due to the Sun's reflection off its atmosphere), that it is the only
object besides our Moon that can be seen from Earth during the evening and during the day!



Rotation
Venus takes 225 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun. And like the other planets in our solar system,
Venus rotates about its axis. However, Venus is the only planet that rotates from east to west instead of west to east.
This means, that if we lived on Venus, the Sun would appear to rise in the west in the morning, and set in the east in
the evening! Even stranger, Venus rotates so slowly that one day on Venus is equivalent to 117 days on Earth.
Size
At approximately 4.9 x 10
24
kilograms, Venus is also nearly as massive as Earth. As a result, the gravity on
Venus (8.87 m/s2) is nearly the same as it is on Earth (9.81 m/s2). Additionally, scientists conclude that the structure
of the planet's interior is similar to Earth's, with an iron core and a rocky mantel.
The Venusian Surface
Venus is one of the terrestrial planets -- those with solid, rocky surfaces inhabiting the inner part of our
solar system.The surface of Venus is a very desolate, barren place. Nonetheless, efforts were made to study the
planet by several Soviet Venera spacecraft. These spacecraft were able to take pictures, as well as sample rocks and
take other various measurements.
The rocky surface of Venus appears to have been created through volcanic activity, and is comprised of
low, rolling plains. While the highest elevations of Venus rival those of Earth, these features are less abundant. In
fact, the elevated areas, similar to continents here on Earth, only comprise about 8% of the total surface area,
compared to 25% of the surface area on Earth. There is also a lack of small impact craters, like those seen on the
other terrestrial planets. This is due to the thickness of the Venusian atmosphere which prevents all but the largest
meteors from reaching the surface.
The Venusian Atmosphere
By now you may be asking yourself "what's the catch?" After all, you have undoubtedly heard about
NASA's plan to send a man to Mars, and how someday we could actually create a colony on that planet. What about
Venus? It is closer to us than Mars, more similar in size, and has similar gravity!
The answer to this question lies in Venus' atmosphere. The Venusian atmosphere is very different than the
atmosphere on Earth, and would have devastating effects on humans if we attempted to live there.
The Venusian atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide (~96.5%), while only containing about 3.5%
nitrogen. This is in stark contrast to the Earths atmosphere, which contains primarily nitrogen (78%) and oxygen
(21%). Clearly, we would not be able to breathe the air on Venus. Moreover, the effect the atmosphere has on the
rest of the planet is dramatic.
Global Warming on Venus
A great cause for concern on Earth is global warming, specifically the emission of "greenhouse gases" into
our atmosphere. As these gases accumulate in our atmosphere, they trap heat near the surface, causing our planet to
heat up. Because Venus has such a dense atmosphere, this same effect has occurred, though to a much higher
degree. Global warming on Venus has caused the surface temperature to rise to nearly 900
0
F, enough to melt lead.
Living Conditions on Venus
As destructive as the surface temperature of Venus is, just as troubling is the immense pressure you would
feel standing on the surface. The weight of the atmosphere is 90 times greater than that on earth -- the same pressure
we would feel if submerged under 3,000 feet of water. This pressure is so high, that when the Veneraspacecrafts
landed, they only had a few moments to take data before they were crushed and melted. Ultimately, Venus appears
as a visual beauty in the night sky, but it will have to be admired form afar. As the heat and pressure that
characterize the surface of the planet make it unfit for life.
Planet Profile
Mass: 4,867,320,000,000,000 billion kg (0.815 x Earth)
Equatorial Diameter: 12,104 km
Polar Diameter: 12,104 km
Equatorial Circumference: 38,025 km
Known Satellites: none
Notable Satellites: none
Orbit Distance: 108,209,475 km (0.73 AU)
Orbit Period: 224.70 Earth days
Surface Temperature: 462 C
First Record: 17th century BC
Recorded By: Babylonian astronomers
Size Of Venus Compared To The Earth
Facts about Venus
A day on Venus lasts longer than a year:
It takes 243 Earth days to make rotate once on its axis. The planets orbit around the Sun takes 225 Earth days,
compared to the Earths 365.
Venus is often called the Earths sister planet:
Earth and Venus are very similar in size with only a 638 km difference in diameter, Venus having 81.5% of the
Earths mass. Both also have a central core, a molten mantle and a crust.
Venus rotates counter-clockwise: Also known as retrograde rotation. A possible reason might be a collision in the
past with an asteroid or other object that caused the planet to alter its rotational path. It also differs from most other
planets in our solar system by having no natural satellites.
Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky: Only the Moon is brighter. With a magnitude of between -3.8
to -4.6 Venus is so bright it can be seen during daytime on a clear day.
Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times greater than the Earths: