Facts about Venus


What is Venus?

Venus is the closest planet to Earth and the 2nd planet from our parents star Sun. It's one of the four inner, terrestrial (or rocky) planets, and it's sometimes referred to as Earth's twin due to its size and density. However, these are not identical twins; there are significant variances between the two universes.

Name

Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite, who is also known as Venus in Greek mythology. The ancients thought that this deity shone the brightest. Because the planet Venus shines so brightly in the night sky, it was named after this goddess.

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Color

Because of the dense atmosphere and heavy clouds that surround it, it is difficult to determine the real color of Venus and its surface. The clouds are so dense that light cannot even get through them to illuminate the ground. This indicates that standing on the surface of Venus would be completely dark.

When we gaze at Venus with our eyes, it seems incredibly brilliant, with white and yellow hues. However, images acquired by scientists reveal that the surface of Venus is covered with brown and red pebbles and dust. So, Venus is white and yellow, with a reddish and brown surface.

Size

Venus is almost the same size and weight as Earth, but it is somewhat smaller. It has a diameter of around 12,100 kilometers. It is the second-largest terrestrial planet after Earth and the sixth-largest planet in the solar system.

Venus is roughly three times the size of Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system. On the other hand, it is roughly 11.8 times smaller than Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Around 1400 Venus-sized planets may fit within Jupiter. Venus is approximately twice the size of Mars.

Atmosphere and Temperature

Venus is enveloped by a dense atmosphere made mostly of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. There are also heavy sulfuric acid clouds engulfing the globe. The gases and clouds trap heat, keeping Venus warm. The temperature at Venus's surface is around 867° F (464° C). The temperature is high enough to cause lead to melt. Furthermore, the thick and dense atmosphere creates extremely high pressure. The pressure on Venus is 92 times that of Earth, enough to crush many objects.

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Scientists believe Venus's atmosphere may have been similar to Earth's billions of years ago. There might have also been a lot of water on Venus's surface. However, after billions of years, evaporation of water generated a greenhouse effect, resulting in a large amount of greenhouse gases in its atmosphere.

20 Interesting Facts about Venus

1.                 Without binoculars or telescopes, Venus may nearly always be seen with the naked eye.

2.                 Venus is so brilliant that it is the second brightest object in our night sky, after only the moon.

3.                 Venus reflects 70% of the sunlight it receives, which explains why it glows so brightly.

4.                 Venus is commonly referred to be Earth's sister planet since they are almost identical in size, mass, proximity to the Sun, and gravity.

5.                 The voyage from Earth to Venus takes six months.

6.                 Because Venus is so hot, any spacecraft launched there only lives for about an hour.

7.                 Because to Venus's retrograde spin, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

8.                 On Earth, the Sun rises and sets once every day; on Venus, it rises once every 117 days. This means that the Sun only rises twice in a Venusian year.

9.                 It takes 6 minutes for sunlight to reach Venus.

10.             According to scientists, Venus previously had a lot of water, but it boiled away due to the high temperatures.

11.             Venus is the planet with the most volcanoes in the solar system, with a total of 79. It features around 1600 volcanoes, many of which are still active today.

12.             Venus was regarded to be two separate objects in the sky by ancient people: the Mourning Star and the Evening Star. They felt the same way about the planet Mercury.

13.             Venus and Mercury are the two planets without moons in the Solar System.

14.             Venus has no rings, and its magnetosphere is likewise quite feeble due to its sluggish rotation.

15.             Venus' clouds are yellowish in color. This is due to the fact that they are not created from water vapor like those seen on Earth, but rather from a toxin known as sulfuric acid.

16.             Although Venus contains numerous clouds, it is too hot for rain to fall there.

17.             Some of Venus' volcanoes look to be crushed from above. As a result, they've been dubbed "pancake volcanoes." Some of the craters resemble large spiders and are dubbed "Arachnoids."

18.             On Earth, if you weigh 100 pounds, you would weigh 91 pounds on Venus.

19.             Venus is the only planet named after a female god.

20.               Venus's emblem is really the world's symbol for the female gender.


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