The closest planet to us has a very beautiful name, but the surface of Venus makes it clear that in fact there is nothing in her character that would remind of the goddess of love. Sometimes this planet is called the twin sister of the Earth. However, the only thing they have in common is their similar sizes.
Discovery history
Even the smallest telescope can track the shift of the disk of this planet. This was first discovered by Galileo in the distant 1610. The atmosphere of this planet was noticed by Lomonosov in 1761, at the moment when it passed by the Sun. It is surprising that such a movement was predicted by calculations, so astronomers have been waiting for this event with particular impatience. However, only Lomonosov drew attention to the fact that when the disks of the star and the planet “contacted”, a barely noticeable glow appeared around the latter. The observer concluded that such an effect arose as a result of the refraction of the sun's rays in the atmosphere. He believed that the surface of Venus is covered with an atmosphere very similar to that of Earth.
Planet
From the Sun, this planet is located on the secondplace. At the same time, Venus is closer to the Earth than other planets. At the same time, before space flights became a reality, almost nothing could be learned about this celestial body. Very little was known:
- It is removed from the star at a distance of 108 million 200 thousand kilometers.
- A day on Venus lasts 117 Earth days.
- It takes almost 225 Earth days to complete a revolution around our star.
- Its mass is 0.815% of the mass of the Earth, which is equal to 4.8671024 kg.
- The acceleration of this planet is 8.87 m/s².
- The surface area of Venus is 460.2 million square km.
The diameter of the planet's disk is 600 km smaller than the Earth's, which is 12104 km. At the same time, gravity is almost the same as ours - our kilogram will weigh only 850 grams there. Since the size, composition, and gravity of the planet are very similar to those of Earth, it is commonly referred to as "Earth-like".
The uniqueness of Venus is that it does not rotate in the direction other planets do. Only Uranus "behaves" in a similar way. Venus, whose atmosphere is very different from ours, rotates around its axis in 243 days. The planet manages to make a revolution around the Sun in 224.7 days, equal to ours. This makes the year on Venus shorter than a day. In addition, day and night on this planet change, but the season is always the same.
Surface
The surface of Venus is mostly hilly and almost flat plains, founded by volcanic eruptions. Rest20% of the planet are giant mountains called Ishtar Land, Aphrodite Land, Alpha and Beta regions. These massifs consist mainly of bas altic lava. Many craters have been found in these areas, with an average diameter of more than 300 kilometers. Scientists quickly found the answer to the question of why it is impossible to find a smaller crater on Venus. The fact is that meteorites, which could leave a relatively small mark on the surface, simply do not reach it, burning up in the atmosphere.
The surface of Venus is rich in a variety of volcanoes, but it is not yet clear whether the eruptions have ended on the planet. This question is of essential importance in the question of the evolution of the planet. The geology of the "twins" is still very poorly understood, namely, it provides a basic understanding of the structure and processes of formation of this celestial body.
It is still unknown whether the core of the planet is a liquid substance or a solid substance. But scientists have found that it does not have electrical conductivity, otherwise Venus would have a magnetic field similar to ours. The lack of such activity is still a mystery to astronomers. The most popular point of view, more or less explaining this phenomenon, is that, perhaps, the process of solidification of the core has not yet begun, therefore, convective jets that generate a magnetic field cannot yet be born in it.
The temperature on Venus reaches 475 degrees. For a long time, astronomers could not find an explanation for this. However, today, after a lot of research, it is believed that the greenhouse gas is to blame. Effect. According to calculations, if our planet approached only 10 million kilometers closer to the star, this effect would get out of control, as a result of which there would simply be an irreversible heating of the Earth and the death of all life.
Scientists simulated a situation when the temperature on Venus was not so high, and found out that then it would have oceans similar to Earth's.
There are no lithospheric plates on Venus that would need to be updated in a hundred million years. Judging by the available data, the planet's crust has been stationary for at least 500 million years. However, this does not mean that Venus is stable. From its depths, elements rise, heating the bark, softening it. Therefore, it is likely that the planet's relief is expected to undergo global changes.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of this planet is very powerful, barely letting in the light of the Sun. But even this light is not like the one we see every day - it's just weak scattered rays. 97% carbon dioxide, almost 3% nitrogen, oxygen, inert gases and water vapor - this is what Venus “breathes”. The planet's atmosphere is very poor in oxygen, but there are enough various compounds to form clouds from sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide.
The lower layers of the atmosphere surrounding the planet are practically motionless, but the wind speed in the troposphere is most often above 100 m/s. Such hurricanes merge together, skirting the entire planet in just four of our days.
Research
Today, the planet is being explored not only through aircraftdevices, but also with the help of radio emission. Extremely unfavorable conditions on the planet greatly complicate its study. Nevertheless, over the past 47 years, 19 successful attempts have been made to send vehicles to the surface of this celestial body. In addition, the trajectory of six space stations provided valuable information about our nearest neighbor.
Since 2005, a ship has been orbiting the planet, studying the planet and its atmosphere. Scientists expect to use it to open more than one secret of Venus. Currently, the device has transmitted to Earth a large amount of information that will help scientists learn much more about the planet. For example, from their reports it became known that hydroxyl ions are present in the atmosphere of Venus. Scientists have no idea how this can be explained.
One of the questions that experts would like to get an answer to is: what kind of substance at an altitude of about 56-58 kilometers absorbs half of the ultraviolet rays?
Observation
Venus can be seen very well at dusk. Sometimes its sparkle is so bright that shadows are created from objects on Earth (as from moonlight). Under the right conditions, it can be observed even during the daytime.
Interesting facts
- The age of the planet by space standards is very small - about 500 million years.
- Venus is smaller than Earth, gravity is lower, so a person would weigh less on this planet than at home.
- The planet has no satellites.
- A day on the planet is longer than a year.
- Despite the giganticdimensions, not a single crater on Venus is practically visible, since the planet is well hidden by clouds
- Chemical processes in the clouds contribute to the formation of acids.
Now you know a lot of interesting things about the mysterious earthly "twin".
