
Fact about Venus
We know that there are thousands of secrets are lying in our solar system.
All Planets have interesting facts about themselves. From ancient times to the scorching heat, I describe the 10 interesting facts about Venus.
Many times a question roams in mind, what are some interesting facts about Venus.
You will come to know interesting facts about Venus planet, as we know that Venus's place is second from the Sun and the third brightest element in the Earth's sky after the Sun and the Moon.
It is generally called Earth's sister planet because they are the same size and mass. Venus is visible from the naked eyes because it is also much closed to Earth.
An opaque layer of Sulfuric acid clouds hides Venus's surface. The planet Venus got its name from the Roman Goddess of Love and beauty is popularly known as Venus. It is the 2nd largest planet.
10. The basics Venus is the second closest planet from the Sun and the sixth-largest in size in our Solar System.
First recorded by Babylonian astronomers in the 17th century, Venus is also the second brightest object as seen from the Earth at night. Moreover, it has no known moon orbiting around it.
The terrestrial planet is often called the sister planet of Earth as they have very similar composition, mass, size, and proximity to the Sun.
Venus has approximately 81% of Earth's mass and the difference in diameter is only 638 km. You will be surprised to know that it is the only planet named after a female figure!
It was named after a Roman goddess who is a symbol of love and beauty. Actually, there are only three Venusian features that do not have female names.
9. Atmospheric Pressure
Whenever astronomers try to send a spacecraft to Venus, its atmosphere killed it off. Decades ago, the Soviet Venera probes made it to the surface of Venus but they only functioned for a couple of hours.
The atmospheric pressure of Venus is so high that a Spacecraft requires a strong shield to survive. The deadly atmosphere is mostly made up of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid.
What's even worse, Venus is the hottest planet! It has even beaten Mercury and received the title of being the hottest. Its surface has a sweltering temperature of 470 degrees Celsius.
All credits go to the high amount of carbon dioxide and acidic clouds. In short, Venus suffers from the greenhouse effect.
8. Volcanoes
Venus has the largest number of volcanoes on its planet, no other planets in the Solar System have such an amount of volcanoes.
The Venusian surface is 90% Salt, and around 65% of the surface is covered with volcanic lava plains. Astronomers have observed around 1,600 major volcanoes on the Venusian surface.
It is likely that there are numerous more volcanoes, but they are too tiny in size for scientists to see.
While most of these volcanoes are dormant, some of them are still likely to be active. The highest volcano on Venus is known as Maat Mons.
Research proved that It is a massive shield volcano as well as the second-highest mountain. According to Radar sounding by the Magellan probe, Maat Mons could be still active.
7. Days and Years
1 day on Venus is equal to 243 days on Earth. This is because Venus rotates around its own axis slower than it orbits.
6. Temperature
Venus is declared the hottest planet in our Solar System. Due to its killer greenhouse effect and 96% atmospheric carbon dioxide, its temperature reaches over 470 degrees Celsius.
According to NASA, the surface temperature is so high that it can easily melt lead. Funnily enough, the meaner sibling of Earth is also way colder.
Approximately 125 kilometers above Venus' surface, the temperature is -175 degrees Celsius! Astronomers believe that the frozen layer is also composed of carbon dioxide.
Moreover, the icy layer is unique to Venus as no evidence of it has been found on Earth and Mars.
5. The 'morning star' and 'evening star'
Venus is also popularly called the 'morning star' and 'evening star'. Centuries ago, people it was considered that Venus was actually two different stars appearing in the sky.
When the planet is visible after sunset, it is called the 'evening star'. However, every 584 days, the planet overtakes Earth's orbit.
When it catches on, it becomes visible just before sunrise and becomes the 'morning star'.
Greeks called the morning and evening stars Phosphorus and Hesperus, and Romans named the stars Lucifer and Vesper respectively.
4. Observation
Another interesting thing about Venus is that it is one of the two planets that we can see across the sun from the vantage point of Earth. These Venus transits are happed to be a rare phenomenon.
They usually occur in pairs in cycles of 243 years! The next pair of transit will occur in December 2117 and December 2125. Who knows, you may witness it!
3. Venus’s Age
The sister planet of Earth is actually the older sibling. Scientists have calculated the age of the Venusian surface to be 300-400 million years old.
The surface of the Earth is only around 100 million years old!
2. Tropical Island
Once upon a time, humans thought that Venus was a beautiful tropical island. Sadly, that is not the case at all and we can't possibly ever plan a holiday there.
1. The Mysterious Ashen Light
The dark side of Venus has a mysterious ashen light which is only seen during its crescent phase. The weak illumination was first observed in 1643, but no scientific confirmation has ever been made.
It is assumed that the light is caused by electrical activity in the atmosphere of the planet Venus.
Some also claim that it is just a physiological effect that occurs when one observes a bright, crescent-shaped object.