Venus

Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet

  Venus' atmosphere retains heat from the Sun, representing an extreme form of the greenhouse effect that also warms Earth. The temperatures on Venus are sufficiently high to melt lead. (Image: © NASA)

Pasta-amatriciana.

Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. This planet — the only one named after a female — may have been designated for the most beautiful deity in her pantheon due to its brightness among the five planets recognized by ancient astronomers.

In ancient times, Venus was frequently perceived as two distinct stars, the evening star and the morning star — the ones that appeared first at sunset and sunrise, respectively. In Latin, they were known as Vesper and Lucifer.

In Christian tradition, Lucifer, meaning "light-bringer," became associated with the name of Satan prior to his fall. Nevertheless, subsequent observations of Venus during the space age reveal a very hellish environment. This renders Venus a challenging planet to study up close, as spacecraft do not endure long on its surface.

Physical characteristics

Venus and Earth are often referred to as twins due to their similarities in size, mass, density, composition, and gravity. However, these similarities cease there.

Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Although it is not the closest planet to the Sun, its thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, which is more intense than that of Earth. Consequently, temperatures on Venus can reach 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius), which is more than sufficient to melt lead. Probes that scientists have landed on Venus have only lasted a few hours before being destroyed.

Venus also possesses a hellish atmosphere, primarily composed of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid, and scientists have only found trace amounts of water in the atmosphere. The atmospheric pressure is heavier than that of any other planet, resulting in a surface pressure 90 times greater than that of Earth. Remarkably, however, early in Venus' history, the planet may have been capable of supporting life, according to models developed by NASA researchers. Institute for Space Studies.

The surface of Venus is extremely dry. During its evolution, ultraviolet rays from the sun evaporated water quickly, keeping it in a prolonged molten state. There is no liquid water on its surface today because the scorching heat created by its ozone-filled atmosphere would cause any to boil away. 

Roughly two-thirds of the Venusian surface is covered by flat, smooth plains that are marred by thousands of volcanoes, some which are still active today, ranging from about 0.5 to 150 miles (0.8 to 240 kilometers) wide, with lava flows carving long, winding canals up to more than 3,000 miles (5,000 km) in length, longer than on any other planet.

Six mountainous regions make up about one-third of the Venusian surface. One mountain range, called Maxwell, is about 540 miles (870 km) long and reaches up to some 7 miles (11.3 km) high, making it the highest feature on the planet.

Venus features a variety of surface characteristics that are distinct from those found on Earth. For instance, Venus is home to coronae, or crowns — circular formations that measure approximately 95 to 360 miles (155 to 580 km) in diameter. Researchers theorize that these structures emerged when heated material from beneath the crust ascended, distorting the planet's surface. Additionally, Venus contains tesserae, or tiles — elevated regions where numerous ridges and valleys have developed in various orientations.

Given the extreme conditions present on Venus, the ancient designation for the planet — Lucifer — appears to be quite appropriate. Nevertheless, this name did not imply any malevolent associations; Lucifer translates to "light-bringer," and when observed from Earth, Venus shines brighter than any other planet or even any star in the night sky due to its highly reflective cloud cover and proximity to our planet.

Venus takes 243 Earth-days to complete a rotation on its axis, making it the slowest rotating major planet, and as a result of this sluggish rotation, its metallic core is unable to produce a magnetic field akin to that of Earth.

Orbital characteristics

When viewed from above, Venus rotates in the opposite direction compared to most planets. Consequently, on Venus, the sun would seem to rise in the west and set in the east. In contrast, on Earth, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

The duration of a Venusian year — the period it takes to orbit the sun — is approximately 225 Earth-days. Typically, this would suggest that days on Venus are longer than its years. However, due to Venus' unusual retrograde rotation, the interval from one sunrise to the next is merely about 117 Earth-days long.

Here are some parameters of Venus:

Orbit & rotation

Average distance from the sun: 67,237,910 miles (108,208,930 km). In comparison: 0.723 times that of Earth.

Perihelion (closest approach to the sun): 66,782,000 miles (107,476,000 km). In comparison: 0.730 times that of Earth.

Aphelion (farthest distance from the sun): 67,693,000 miles (108,942,000 km). In comparison: 0.716 times that of Earth.

Composition & structure

Atmospheric composition (by volume): 96.5 percent carbon dioxide, 3.5 percent nitrogen, along with trace amounts of sulfur dioxide, argon, water, carbon monoxide, helium, and neon.

Magnetic field: 0.000015 times that of Earth's magnetic field.

Internal structure: Venus has a metallic iron core approximately 2,400 miles (6,000 km) in diameter. The molten rocky mantle of Venus is about 1,200 miles (3,000 km) thick. The crust is predominantly basalt and is estimated to be between six to 12 miles (10 to 20 km) thick on average.

Climate

The uppermost layer of Venus' clouds rotates around the planet every four Earth days, driven by hurricane-force winds that reach speeds of approximately 224 mph (360 kph). This phenomenon, known as super-rotation, occurs at a rate about 60 times faster than the planet's own rotation, and it remains one of the greatest mysteries of Venus. In contrast, the winds at the surface of the planet are significantly slower, estimated to be only a few miles per hour.

The Venus Express spacecraft, a mission by the European Space Agency that operated from 2005 to 2014, discovered intriguing evidence of lightning on Venus. This lightning is distinct from that observed on other planets in the solar system, as it is not linked to water clouds. Instead, on Venus, the lightning is associated with clouds composed of sulfuric acid. Scientists are particularly interested in these electrical discharges because they can fragment molecules, allowing them to recombine in unexpected ways.

A persistent cyclone on Venus, first detected in 2006, has been observed in a state of constant change, with components continuously breaking apart and reassembling. The clouds also exhibit signs of meteorological phenomena known as gravity waves, causing when winds blow over geological features, causing rises and falls in the layers of air.

Unusual stripes in the upper clouds of Venus are dubbed "blue absorbers" or "ultraviolet absorbers" because they strongly absorb light in the blue and ultraviolet wavelengths. These are soaking up a huge amount of energy — nearly half of the total solar energy the planet absorbs. As such, they seem to play a major role in keeping Venus as hellish as it is. Their exact composition remains uncertain; some scientists suggest it could even be life, although many things would need to be ruled out before accepting that conclusion.

Research and investigation

The United States, Soviet Union, European Space Agency and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency have sent numerous rocket to Venus, more than 20 in all up until this point. NASA's Mariner 2 drew near 21,600 miles (34,760 km) of Venus in 1962, making it the principal planet to be seen by a passing space apparatus. The Soviet Union's Venera 7 was the primary space apparatus to arrive on another planet, and Venera 9 returned the main photos of the Venusian surface. The principal Venusian orbiter, NASA's Magellan, created guides of 98% of the planet's surface utilizing radar, showing subtleties of elements as little as 330 feet (100 meters) across.

The European Space Agency's Venus Express enjoyed eight years in circle around Venus with an enormous assortment of instruments, and has affirmed the presence of lightning there. In August 2014, as the satellite started wrapping up its main goal, regulators occupied with an extended move that dove it into the external layers of the planet's environment. Venus Express endure the thinking for even a moment to travel, then moved into a higher circle, where it will spend a while until it runs out of fuel. By December 2014, regulators hope to send the art plunging to its demise through the planet's environment.

Japan's Akatsuki sent off to Venus in 2010, however its fundamental motor kicked the bucket during a crucial circle addition consume, sending the specialty flinging into space. Utilizing more modest engines, the Japanese group effectively played out a consume to address the rocket's course. A resulting consume in November 2015 effectively placed Akatsuki into space all over the world. In 2017, having effectively accomplished a changed science circle around Venus, Akatsuki recognized another enormous "gravity wave" in Venus' climate.

As of at minimum March 2017, NASA and the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute have had conversations about teaming up on the Venera-D mission, which would incorporate an orbiter, a lander and maybe a sun based controlled aircraft. The mission would send off at some point during the 2020s.

As of late, NASA has supported a few very beginning phase mission ideas that could take a gander at Venus in the next few decades, under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, despite the fact that their prosperity isn't ensured. This incorporates a "steampunk" meanderer that would utilize old-school switches rather than gadgets (which would sear in Venus' air), and an inflatable that would look at Venus from low heights. Independently, some NASA specialists have been researching the chance of utilizing aircrafts to investigate the more mild locales of Venus' air. Cool.

Venus VIDEO