Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the brightest object in the night sky, outshining even the Moon. It is the hottest planet in the Solar System, with a surface temperature of 864°F (462°C). It is similar to Earth in size and mass, but its atmosphere is mostly made up of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. Venus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction of most other planets, taking 243 Earth days to complete one rotation. It is also the slowest-spinning planet. Its thick atmosphere traps heat, causing a runaway greenhouse effect that makes it the hottest planet in the Solar System. The thick clouds of Venus reflect and scatter sunlight, giving it its bright appearance. Venus has no moons and no rings, and it is covered in volcanoes and impact craters. It is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates from east to west. Despite its hostile environment, Venus has captivated scientists for centuries, and robotic spacecraft have explored its surface and atmosphere. This article provides an overview of the planet Venus, including its physical properties, atmosphere, and exploration.
Venus’ atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide and cloud of sulfuric Acid droplets. Because the atmosphere traps the sun’s warmth, surface temperatures are higher than 880В°F (470В°C%). There are many layers to the atmosphere, each with its own temperature. The atmosphere is approximately 30 miles higher than the surface at the level of clouds.
Venus orbits the sun forward, but slowly turns backwards. Top level clouds fly around the planet four times per Earth day, powered by hurricane-force winds travelling at approximately 224 mph (360 kl) an hour. These clouds are lit by lightning flashes from the atmosphere. The speed of the clouds drops with their height. At the surface, they travel only a few miles an hour. It would appear as a cloudy, overcast day at the surface. It would be like being 1 mile (1.6 km) under water.
Venus measures approximately 3760 miles (6.052 kl) in radius. This is why it’s called Earth’s sister. Venus lies 0.7 Astronomical Units from the Sun, at an average distance (67 million miles) The distance from Earth to the sun is one astronomical unit (abbreviated AU). It takes sunlight 6 min to travel the distance from sun to Venus.
Maxwell Montes stands at 20,000 feet. (8.8kl). Although no human has ever visited Venus, the spacecraft sent to its surface by NASA have not been able to survive very long. Venus’ high temperature makes it difficult for electronics to survive long at the surface.
Venus close up. The rocks are different shades, just like the ones on Earth. However, the thick atmosphere filters sunlight so everything would appear orange if one were to stand on Venus. The volcanoes that resurfaced Venus 300 to 500 million year ago are believed to be the cause. Two large areas of highland on Venus are Ishtar Terra in the north polar area and Aphrodite Terra at the equator. They stretch for nearly 6,000 miles (10,000).
Venus seen from far away Space Venus appears bright white due to its cloud cover that scatters and reflect sunlight. It looks like an oval.
The best planet is Venus. Venus’ atmosphere is mainly composed of carbon dioxide with cloudy clouds of sulfuric acids droplets. Venus is approximately the same size and slightly smaller than Earth. Venus has not been visited by humans, but spacecraft have.