Venus
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Venus is the second planet from the Sun.[3] It is a terrestrial planet, meaning it is made of solid matter. The orbit of Venus is between the orbits of Mercury and Earth.
Designations | |||||||||||||||||
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Pronunciation | /ˈviːnəs/ (listen) | ||||||||||||||||
Adjectives | Venusian or (rarely) Cytherean, Venerean | ||||||||||||||||
Orbital characteristics | |||||||||||||||||
Epoch J2000 | |||||||||||||||||
Aphelion |
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Perihelion |
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Eccentricity | 0.006772 | ||||||||||||||||
583.92 days | |||||||||||||||||
Average orbital speed | 35.02 km/s | ||||||||||||||||
50.115° | |||||||||||||||||
Inclination |
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76.680° | |||||||||||||||||
54.884° | |||||||||||||||||
Satellites | None | ||||||||||||||||
Physical characteristics | |||||||||||||||||
Mean radius |
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Flattening | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
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Volume |
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Mass |
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Mean density | 5.243 g/cm3 | ||||||||||||||||
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10.36 km/s (6.44 mi/s)[2] | |||||||||||||||||
Sidereal rotation period | −243.025 d (retrograde) | ||||||||||||||||
Equatorial rotation velocity | 6.52 km/h (1.81 m/s) | ||||||||||||||||
2.64° (for retrograde rotation) 177.36° (to orbit)[note 1] | |||||||||||||||||
North pole right ascension |
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North pole declination | 67.16° | ||||||||||||||||
Albedo | |||||||||||||||||
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−4.92 to −2.98 | |||||||||||||||||
9.7″–66.0″ | |||||||||||||||||
Atmosphere | |||||||||||||||||
Surface pressure | 92 bar (9.2 MPa) | ||||||||||||||||
Composition by volume |
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Overview
changeVenus is a terrestrial planet because it has a solid, rocky surface like other planets in the inner Solar System. Astronomers have known Venus for thousands of years. The ancient Romans named it after their goddess Venus, goddess of love and beauty.[3]
Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky except for the Moon. It is sometimes called the morning star or the evening star as at some elongations it is easily seen just before the Sun comes up in the morning. At other times, it can be seen just after the sun goes down in the evening. Venus comes closer to the Earth than any other planet does.
Composition
changeVenus is sometimes called the sister planet of Earth as they are quite similar in size and gravity. In other ways the planets are very different. Venus' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide (CO2) with clouds of sulphuric acid (H2SO4).[4] H2SO4 is a chemical that is poisonous to life. For this it is sometimes known as the Earth's "evil twin".[5][6]
The thick atmosphere makes it hard to see the surface. Until the late twentieth century many thought there might be life there. The pressure on Venus' surface is 92 times that of Earth. Venus is one of only two planets in the Solar System (the other being Mercury) that has no moons. Venus spins very slowly on its axis and it spins in the opposite direction to the other planets.
Physical properties
changeVenus is a terrestrial planet, meaning its surface is made of rock. Venus is much hotter than Earth. All the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere acts like a blanket, trapping heat from the Sun. This effect is called the greenhouse effect and it is very strong on Venus. This makes the surface of Venus the hottest of any planet's surface in the Solar System with an estimated average temperature of 480 °C (896.0 °F).[7][8] This is hot enough to melt lead or zinc.
Geography
changeVenus has no oceans because it is much too hot for water. Venus' surface is a dry desert. Because of the clouds, only radar can map the surface. It is about 80% smooth, rocky plains, made mostly of basalt. Two higher areas called continents make up the north and south of the planet. The north is called Ishtar Terra and the south is called Aphrodite Terra. They are named after the Babylonian and Greek goddesses of love.[9]
The surface of Venus looks like it has been shaped by volcanic activity. Venus has a lot of volcanoes.[10] The surface of Venus is estimated to be 300–600 million years old.[10][11]
Unlike Earth or Mars, Venus does not have defined highlands or lowlands, and it does not have tectonic plates.
Atmosphere
changeVenus' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas with clouds of sulphuric acid. Because the atmosphere is so thick or dense the pressure is very high. The pressure is 92 times the pressure on Earth, enough to crush many things.
It is impossible to see the planet's surface from space as the thick cloud layer reflects 60% of the light that hits it. The only way scientists are able to see it is by using infrared and ultraviolet cameras and radar.
Scientists believe that billions of years ago, the atmosphere of Venus could have been like Earth's atmosphere. There may have been lots of water on the surface of Venus. But after 600 million to several billion years, the evaporation of the water put greenhouse gases into its atmosphere.[12]
Magnetic field
changeIn 1967, Venera 4 found that the magnetic field of Venus was much weaker than that of Earth. This magnetic field is induced by an interaction between the ionosphere and the solar wind. Venus' magnetosphere is not strong enough to protect the atmosphere from cosmic rays.[13]
Transit of Venus
changeVenus can sometimes be seen passing between the Sun and Earth. Venus looks like a black dot when seen through a special telescope. These passages are called "transits". These "transits" happen in pairs eight years apart. Then it is more than a hundred years to the next pair.
Orbit and rotation
changeVenus orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 108 million km (68~ million mi). It completes an orbit every 224.7 days.[14] This length of time is called a Venusian year.
The rotation of Venus is slower than its orbit. Venus is the only planet in the Solar System that has a sidereal day longer than its year. The length of a Venusian year is 225 Earth days. The length of a Venusian day is 243 Earth days.[3]
List of satellites sent to Venus
changeMany man-made satellites have been sent to Venus to study it. They are:
Mariner
changeName | Launch Date | Country(s) | Date of Arrival at Venus | Date of Last Radio Signal | Did It Work as Planned? | Source(s) |
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Mariner 1 | July 22, 1962 | United States | Never happened because of launch failure | July 22, 1962 | No | [15] |
Mariner 2 | August 27, 1962 | United States | December 14, 1962 | Janaury 3, 1963 | Yes | [16][10] |
Mariner 5 | June 14, 1967 | United States | June 19, 1967 | October 14, 1968 | Yes | [17][18] |
Mariner 10 | November 3, 1973 | United States | February 5, 1974 | March 24, 1975 | Yes | [19][20] |
Venera
changeName | Launch Date | Country(s) | Date of Arrival at Venus | Date of Last Radio Signal (lander/impactor) | Date of Last Radio Signal (orbiter/fly-by craft/kickstage) | Did It Work as Planned? | Source(s) |
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Sputnik 7[a] | February 4, 1961 | Soviet Union | Never happened because of failure to leave Low Earth orbit | No lander[b] | February 26, 1961 | No | [10] |
Sputnik 19 | August 25, 1962 | Soviet Union | Never happened because of failure to leave Low Earth orbit | No lander | August 28, 1962 | No | [10] |
Venera 1 | February 12, 1961 | Soviet Union | May 19, 1961 | No lander | February 17, 1961 | No | [21] |
Venera 2 | November 12, 1965 | Soviet Union | February 27, 1966 | No lander | February 1966 | No | [22][23] |
Venera 3 | November 16, 1965 | Soviet Union | March 1, 1966 | February 16, 1966 | February 16, 1966 | No | [24][25] |
Venera 4 | June 12, 1967 | Soviet Union | October 18, 1967 | No lander | October 18, 1967 | Yes | [26] |
Venera 5 | January 5, 1969 | Soviet Union | May 16, 1969 | May 16, 1969 | May 16, 1969 | Yes | [27] |
Venera 6 | January 10, 1969 | Soviet Union | May 17, 1969 | May 17, 1969 | May 17, 1969 | Yes | [28] |
Venera 7 | August 17, 1970 | Soviet Union | December 15, 1970 | December 15, 1970 | December 15, 1970 | Landed but rolled and returned very little data | [29] |
Venera 8 | March 27, 1972 | Soviet Union | July 22, 1972 | July 22, 1972 | July 22, 1972 | Yes | [30] |
Venera 9 | June 8, 1975 | Soviet Union | October 22, 1975 | October 22, 1975 | March 22, 1976 | Yes | [31] |
Venera 10 | June 14, 1975 | Soviet Union | October 25, 1975 | October 25, 1975 | June 1976 | [32][10] | |
Venera 11 | September 9, 1978 | Soviet Union | December 25, 1978 | December 25, 1978 | February 1980 | Yes, small issues with the some of the tools on the mission | [33][34] |
Venera 12 | September 14, 1978 | Soviet Union | December 21, 1978 | December 21, 1978 | December 21, 1978 | Yes, small issues with the some of the tools on the mission | [35] |
Venera 13 | October 30, 1981 | Soviet Union | March 1, 1982 | March 1, 1982 | April 25, 1983 | Yes | [36] |
Venera 14 | November 4, 1981 | Soviet Union | March 5, 1982 | March 5, 1982 | April 9, 1983 | Yes | [37][10] |
Venera 15 | June 2, 1983 | Soviet Union | October 1983 | No lander | July 1984 | Yes | [38][3] |
Venera 16 | June 7, 1983 | Soviet Union | October 1983 | No lander | July 1984 | Yes | [38][3] |
Related pages
changeNotes
change- ↑ Venera was a name only given to Venus missions that left Low Earth orbit. Missions that failed to do so where given either Sputnik or Kosmos names instead. They are still included in the Venera list, as that was their intended name.
- ↑ No lander means that no lander or impactor ever went into the Venusian atmosphere with the goal of landing or impacting. Launch failures, or satellites that failed to reach Venus, do not count.
References
change- ↑ Lakdawalla, Emily better (21 September 2009). "Venus Looks More Boring Than You Think It Does". The Planetary Society. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ↑ "Planets and Pluto: Physical Characteristics". NASA. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Venus". NASA Solar System Exploration. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name ":2" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "The Atmosphere of Venus". Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ↑ Hall, Shannon (June 5, 2019). "Venus is Earth's evil twin — and space agencies can no longer resist its pull". Nature. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ↑ Greenfieldboyce, Nell (June 2, 2021). "NASA Picks Twin Missions To Visit Venus, Earth's 'Evil Twin'". NPR. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Venus - an overview". Archived from the original on 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ↑ "Temperature on the Surface of Venus". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ↑ Batson R.M. & Russell J.F. 1991. Naming the newly found landforms on Venus. Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, v. 22, p65.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Frankel, Charles. (1996). Volcanoes of the solar system. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47201-6. OCLC 32969544. Retrieved 2020-09-14. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name ":0" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Nimmo, F.; Mckenzie, D. (1998). "Volcanism and Tectonics on Venus". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 26: 23–51. Bibcode:1998AREPS..26...23N. doi:10.1146/ANNUREV.EARTH.26.1.23. ISSN 0084-6597. S2CID 862354.
- ↑ Kasting, James F. (1988). "Runaway and moist greenhouse atmospheres and the evolution of Earth and Venus". Icarus. 74 (3): 472–494. Bibcode:1988Icar...74..472K. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(88)90116-9. PMID 11538226. Archived from the original on 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ↑ Introduction to space physics. Kivelson, M. G. (Margaret Galland), 1928-, Russell, C. T. (Christopher T.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1995. ISBN 0-521-45104-3. OCLC 30509600. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ "Venus Fact Sheet". 2016-03-04. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ↑ "Mariner 1 - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov. "Mariner 2 - Venus Missions - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Retrieved 2024-05-12.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
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- ↑ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov. "Mariner 5 - Venus Missions - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Retrieved 2024-05-12.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|last=
- ↑ "Mariner 5 - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "Mariner 10 | National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ Elizabeth Howell (2012-10-31). "Mariner 10: First Mission to Mercury". Space.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/sp-4524.pdf
- ↑ "Venera | Soviet Exploration, Technology & Discoveries | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "1 March". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "Drilling into the Surface of Venus". mentallandscape.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Venera 15 & 16". solarviews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
Other websites
change- Nine Planets: Venus
- The Planet Venus
- Images of Venus
- Venus Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine