Planet Venus is another name. TOP 10 interesting facts about Venus. Internal structure of Venus

Characteristics of the planet:

  • Distance from the Sun: 108.2 million km
  • Planet diameter: 12,103 km
  • Day on the planet: 243 days 14 min*
  • Year on the planet: 224.7 days*
  • t° on the surface: +470 °C
  • Atmosphere: 96% carbon dioxide; 3.2% nitrogen; there is some oxygen
  • Satellites: doesn't have

* period of rotation around its own axis (in Earth days)
**period of orbit around the Sun (in Earth days)

Venus is very often called the “sister” of the Earth, since their sizes and masses are very close to each other, but significant differences are observed in their atmosphere and the surface of the planets. After all, if most of the Earth is covered by oceans, then it is simply impossible to see water on Venus.

Presentation: planet Venus

According to scientists, the surface of the planet was once also represented by water, but at a certain moment there was a strong increase in the internal temperature of Venus and all the oceans simply evaporated, and the vapors were carried into space solar wind.

Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun, having an orbital shape close to a perfect circle. It is located 108 million kilometers from the Sun. Unlike most planets in the solar system, its movement occurs in the opposite direction, not from west to east, but from east to west. In this case, the rotation of Venus in relation to the Earth occurs in 146 days, and the rotation around its own axis takes place over 243 days.

The radius of Venus is 95% of the Earth's and is equal to 6051.8 km, of which the thickness of the crust is about 16 km, and the silicate shell, called the mantle, is 3300 km. Beneath the mantle is an iron core that has no magnetic field, which accounts for a quarter of the planet's mass. At the center of the core the density is 14 g/cm 3 .

It became possible to fully study the surface of Venus only with the advent of radar methods, thanks to which large hills were identified, which in size can be compared with earth's continents. About 90% of the surface is covered with basaltic lava, which is in a frozen state. A special feature of the planet are numerous craters, the formation of which can be attributed to a time when the density of the atmosphere was much lower. Today, the pressure at the very surface of Venus is about 93 atm, while at the surface the temperature reaches 475 o C, at an altitude of about 60 km it ranges from -125 to -105 o C, and in the region of 90 km it begins again increase to 35-70 o C.

A weak wind blows near the surface of the planet, which becomes very strong as the altitude increases to 50 km and is about 300 meters per second. In the atmosphere of Venus, which extends to an altitude of 250 km, a phenomenon called a thunderstorm is observed, and it occurs twice as often as on Earth. 96% of the atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide and only 4% from nitrogen. The remaining elements are practically not observed, the oxygen content does not exceed 0.1%, and water vapor is no more than 0.02%.

To the human eye, Venus is clearly visible even without a telescope, especially an hour after sunset and about an hour before sunrise, since the planet's dense atmosphere reflects light well. Using a telescope, you can easily monitor the changes occurring in the visible phase of the disk.

Research using spacecraft have been carried out since the seventies of the last century by different countries, but the first photographs were obtained only in 1975, in 1982 the first color images were obtained. Difficult conditions on the surface do not allow work to be carried out for more than two hours, but today it is planned to send a Russian station with a probe that can operate for about a month in the near future.

Venus transits the solar disk four times every 250 years, which in the near future is now expected only in December 2117, since the last time the phenomenon was observed was in June 2012.

Planets of the Solar System

According to the official position of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the organization that assigns names to astronomical objects, there are only 8 planets.

Pluto was removed from the planet category in 2006. because There are objects in the Kuiper belt that are larger/equal in size to Pluto. Therefore, even if we take it as a full-fledged celestial body, then it is necessary to add Eris to this category, which has almost the same size as Pluto.

By MAC definition, there are 8 famous planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

All planets are divided into two categories depending on their physical characteristics: terrestrial group and gas giants.

Schematic representation of the location of the planets

Terrestrial planets

Mercury

The smallest planet in the solar system has a radius of only 2440 km. The period of revolution around the Sun, equated to an earthly year for ease of understanding, is 88 days, while Mercury manages to rotate around its own axis only one and a half times. Thus, his day lasts approximately 59 Earth days. For a long time it was believed that this planet always turned the same side to the Sun, since periods of its visibility from Earth were repeated with a frequency approximately equal to four Mercury days. This misconception was dispelled with the advent of the ability to use radar research and conduct continuous observations using space stations. The orbit of Mercury is one of the most unstable; not only the speed of movement and its distance from the Sun change, but also the position itself. Anyone interested can observe this effect.

Mercury in color, image from the MESSENGER spacecraft

Its proximity to the Sun is the reason why Mercury is subject to the largest temperature changes among the planets in our system. The average daytime temperature is about 350 degrees Celsius, and the nighttime temperature is -170 °C. Sodium, oxygen, helium, potassium, hydrogen and argon were detected in the atmosphere. There is a theory that it was previously a satellite of Venus, but so far this remains unproven. It does not have its own satellites.

Venus

The second planet from the Sun, the atmosphere is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. It is often called the Morning Star and the Evening Star, because it is the first of the stars to become visible after sunset, just as before dawn it continues to be visible even when all the other stars have disappeared from view. The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 96%, there is relatively little nitrogen in it - almost 4%, and water vapor and oxygen are present in very small quantities.

Venus in the UV spectrum

Such an atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect; the temperature on the surface is even higher than that of Mercury and reaches 475 °C. Considered the slowest, a Venusian day lasts 243 Earth days, which is almost equal to a year on Venus - 225 Earth days. Many call it Earth's sister because of its mass and radius, the values ​​of which are very close to those of Earth. The radius of Venus is 6052 km (0.85% of Earth's). Like Mercury, there are no satellites.

The third planet from the Sun and the only one in our system where there is liquid water, without which life on the planet could not have developed. At least life as we know it. The radius of the Earth is 6371 km and, unlike other celestial bodies in our system, more than 70% of its surface is covered with water. The rest of the space is occupied by continents. Another feature of the Earth is tectonic plates, hidden under the planet's mantle. At the same time, they are able to move, albeit at a very low speed, which over time causes changes in the landscape. The speed of the planet moving along it is 29-30 km/sec.

Our planet from space

One revolution around its axis takes almost 24 hours, and a complete passage through the orbit lasts 365 days, which is much longer in comparison with its closest neighboring planets. The Earth's day and year are also accepted as a standard, but this is done only for the convenience of perceiving time periods on other planets. The Earth has one natural satellite - the Moon.

Mars

The fourth planet from the Sun, known for its thin atmosphere. Since 1960, Mars has been actively explored by scientists from several countries, including the USSR and the USA. Not all exploration programs have been successful, but water found at some sites suggests that primitive life exists on Mars, or existed in the past.

The brightness of this planet allows it to be seen from Earth without any instruments. Moreover, once every 15-17 years, during the Confrontation, he becomes the most bright object in the sky, eclipsing even Jupiter and Venus.

The radius is almost half that of Earth and is 3390 km, but the year is much longer - 687 days. He has 2 satellites - Phobos and Deimos .

Visual model of the solar system

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  • Sun

    The Sun is a star that is a hot ball of hot gases at the center of our Solar System. Its influence extends far beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto. Without the Sun and its intense energy and heat, there would be no life on Earth. There are billions of stars like our Sun scattered throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

  • Mercury

    Sun-scorched Mercury is only slightly larger than Earth's satellite the Moon. Like the Moon, Mercury is practically devoid of an atmosphere and cannot smooth out the traces of impact from falling meteorites, so it, like the Moon, is covered with craters. The day side of Mercury gets very hot from the Sun, while on the night side the temperature drops hundreds of degrees below zero. There is ice in the craters of Mercury, which are located at the poles. Mercury completes one revolution around the Sun every 88 days.

  • Venus

    Venus is a world of monstrous heat (even more than on Mercury) and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus is covered by a thick and toxic atmosphere that creates a strong greenhouse effect. This scorched world is hot enough to melt lead. Radar images through the powerful atmosphere revealed volcanoes and deformed mountains. Venus rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation of most planets.

  • Earth is an ocean planet. Our home, with its abundance of water and life, makes it unique in our solar system. Other planets, including several moons, also have ice deposits, atmospheres, seasons and even weather, but only on Earth did all these components come together in a way that made life possible.

  • Mars

    Although details of the surface of Mars are difficult to see from Earth, observations through a telescope indicate that Mars has seasons and white spots at the poles. For decades, people believed that the bright and dark areas on Mars were patches of vegetation, that Mars might be a suitable place for life, and that water existed in the polar ice caps. When the Mariner 4 spacecraft arrived at Mars in 1965, many scientists were shocked to see photographs of the murky, cratered planet. Mars turned out to be a dead planet. More recent missions, however, have revealed that Mars holds many mysteries that remain to be solved.

  • Jupiter

    Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, has four large satellites and many small moons. Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. To become a full-fledged star, Jupiter needed to become 80 times more massive.

  • Saturn

    Saturn is the farthest of the five planets known before the invention of the telescope. Like Jupiter, Saturn is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Its volume is 755 times greater than that of the Earth. Winds in its atmosphere reach speeds of 500 meters per second. These fast winds, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior, cause the yellow and golden streaks we see in the atmosphere.

  • Uranus

    The first planet found using a telescope, Uranus was discovered in 1781 by astronomer William Herschel. The seventh planet is so far from the Sun that one revolution around the Sun takes 84 years.

  • Neptune

    Distant Neptune rotates almost 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun. It takes him 165 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. It is invisible to the naked eye due to its vast distance from Earth. Interestingly, its unusual elliptical orbit intersects with the orbit of the dwarf planet Pluto, which is why Pluto is inside the orbit of Neptune for about 20 years out of 248 during which it makes one revolution around the Sun.

  • Pluto

    Tiny, cold and incredibly distant, Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was long considered the ninth planet. But after discoveries of Pluto-like worlds that were even further away, Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

Planets are giants

There are four gas giants located beyond the orbit of Mars: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. They are located in the outer solar system. They are distinguished by their massiveness and gas composition.

Planets of the solar system, not to scale

Jupiter

The fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in our system. Its radius is 69912 km, it is 19 times larger than the Earth and only 10 times smaller than the sun. The year on Jupiter is not the longest in the solar system, lasting 4333 Earth days (less than 12 years). His own day has a duration of about 10 Earth hours. The exact composition of the planet's surface has not yet been determined, but it is known that krypton, argon and xenon are present on Jupiter in much larger quantities than on the Sun.

It is believed that one out of four gas giants in fact - a failed star. This theory is also supported by the largest number of satellites, of which Jupiter has many - as many as 67. To imagine their behavior in the planet’s orbit, you need a fairly accurate and clear model of the solar system. The largest of them are Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Moreover, Ganymede is the largest satellite of the planets in the entire solar system, its radius is 2634 km, which is 8% greater than the size of Mercury, the smallest planet in our system. Io has the distinction of being one of only three moons with an atmosphere.

Saturn

The second largest planet and the sixth in the solar system. Compared to other planets, its composition is most similar to the Sun chemical elements. The radius of the surface is 57,350 km, the year is 10,759 days (almost 30 Earth years). A day here lasts a little longer than on Jupiter - 10.5 Earth hours. In terms of the number of satellites, it is not much behind its neighbor - 62 versus 67. The largest satellite of Saturn is Titan, just like Io, which is distinguished by the presence of an atmosphere. Slightly smaller in size, but no less famous are Enceladus, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Iapetus and Mimas. It is these satellites that are the objects for the most frequent observation, and therefore we can say that they are the most studied in comparison with the others.

For a long time, the rings on Saturn were considered a unique phenomenon unique to him. Only recently it was established that all gas giants have rings, but in others they are not so clearly visible. Their origin has not yet been established, although there are several hypotheses about how they appeared. In addition, it was recently discovered that Rhea, one of the satellites of the sixth planet, also has some kind of rings.

Humanity has always been interested bright Star, giving its bright light to morning hours or observed in early twilight. This brilliant celestial body - Venus - is the second planet of the solar system. However, despite such an attractive appearance, in reality the alluring and distant world is a hellish boiling cauldron in which there is no place for anything living.

Discovery of the planet Venus

A celestial body that appears in the sky has a brightness of -4.6 apparent magnitude, has long been known to man. In terms of its brightness, Venus is the third object in the sky, second only to the Sun and Moon. The most convenient time to observe this beauty is morning and evening hours. The periods of morning and evening visibility alternate for 585 days.

For this she was nicknamed “the morning star.” As a rule, Venus is easy to see with the naked eye in the western or eastern part of the sky, not far from the horizon. The planet appears quite often, delighting amateur astronomers with its brilliance. The sight is impressive when the morning star appears in company with Jupiter. Two bright dots in the night sky will not leave anyone indifferent.

The second planet from the Sun was first observed by the ancient Chinese and Persians. In those early years, Venus served as a natural indicator of time. The time of appearance of the morning star determined the approximate time of day. Ancient astronomers and astrologers considered Venus a planet. Thanks to its astrophysical parameters, the celestial body fit perfectly into the heliocentric system proposed by Aristarchus of Samos. Much later, already in the 16th century. Through the efforts of Copernicus, Venus firmly took an honorable second place in the heliocentric system.

Despite the fact that humanity received information about Venus back in ancient times, the honor of discovering the celestial body fell to Galileo Galilei. It was he who first saw the morning star through his telescope in 1610. The scientist managed to discover Venusian phases similar to the lunar ones, which confirmed the theory of the heliocentric system of movement of celestial bodies. 29 years later, in 1639, scientists were able to observe Venus in all its glory. The planet made its way, passing through the huge solar disk.

Subsequently, a close study of the second planet from the Sun gave every reason to consider Venus a twin of our Blue Planet. Thanks to the efforts of Mikhail Lomonosov, the “morning star” acquired an atmosphere. Long time sizing information celestial body and astrophysical data gave reason to consider the planet suitable for the existence of life. However, the morning beauty stubbornly hid her true appearance. Observations of the planet using powerful and sophisticated optics have not shed any light on natural nature Venus. Only the flights of the first automatic probes in the second half of the twentieth century lifted the veil of secrecy.

General information about the planet Venus

Today, the physical and astrophysical parameters of the planet closest to Earth are well known. This object is a massive solid, revolving around our star in an almost circular orbit. The maximum distance of the “morning star” from the Sun is 108,942,109 km. At perihelion, Venus approaches the center of the solar system at a distance of 107,476,259 km. Despite the almost ideal parameters of the Venusian orbit, the distance between the morning beauty and the Earth varies over a wide range - from 36 to 261 million km. With this arrangement of two neighboring planets, it will take just over 6 months to cover the distance between Venus and Earth. Launched on November 9, 2005, the Venus Express spacecraft reached our neighbor 153 days later.

The record for time - 97 days spent on a flight to Venus - belongs to the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Venera-1". The American probe Mariner 2 flew to the “morning star” two weeks longer, 110 days. The ship, launched on August 8, 1962, reached the vicinity of another planet on December 14 of the same year. Thanks to the Mariner 2 flight, the first photographs of the object from space were obtained.

With the help of space probes, earthlings were able to see Venus, a planet very similar to our Earth, in all its glory. The size of the "morning star" is almost identical to the size of the Earth. The average radius of the planetary disk is 6051 km, which is 320 kilometers less than the radius of planet Earth (6371 km). The surface area of ​​the Earth's neighbor in space is 460 million km².

Venus has a hard surface and belongs to the terrestrial planets, which, along with our planet, includes Mercury and distant Mars. For comparison, just look at the data on the mass and average density of Venus in comparison with other terrestrial planets:

  • Mercury has a mass of 3.33022·10²³ kg and an average density of 5.427 g/cm³;
  • the mass of Venus is 4.8675·10²⁴ kg, and the average density is 5.24 g/cm³;
  • the mass of the Earth is 5.9726·10²⁴ kg with an average density of 5.5153 g/cm³;
  • Mars weighs 6.4171·10²³ kg with an average density of 3.933 g/cm³.

From the given data it is clearly visible how similar the second and third planets of the solar system are - Venus and Earth. This is once again confirmed by the Venusian gravitational force, equal to 8.87 m/s². On Earth, this parameter is 9.780327 m/s².

As for the astrophysical parameters, this is where the differences begin. The Earth's closest neighbor makes a full revolution around the Sun in 224 Earth days. The rotation of the planet around its own axis is generally carried out in reverse side, i.e. The sun on Venus rises in the West and sets in the East. Despite its rather brisk run in orbit—the planet’s speed is 35 km/s—the “morning star” rotates the slowest around its own axis. A Venusian day is 242 Earth days.

Description of the planet Venus, interesting facts

The geophysical characteristics of the second planet in the solar system are quite interesting. Although externally similar to the Earth, the “morning star” has a similar structure and structure.

Venus is the planet closest to us in structure. The similarity of the two celestial bodies is explained by the high density that is characteristic of all terrestrial planets. Scientists suggest that the “morning star” has a heavy iron-nickel core. However, despite the high temperatures, the planet's core does not have convection, which does not provide the celestial body with a strong magnetic field. The diameter of the core is estimated to be 3000 km.

The celestial beauty's mantle occupies quite a large volume. The thickness of this layer is equal to half the radius of the planet - 3000 kilometers. High temperatures prevail here, ensuring constant eruption of lava flows to the surface. The Venusian crust has an average thickness of 30-50 km and consists of silicate and silicon rocks. A significant difference in the structure of the surface layer of the second planet of the solar system is the absence of tectonics. On Venus, tectonic activity stopped billions of years ago, while on Earth similar processes occur constantly. The celestial body turned hot stone ball, racing in orbit. Due to the absence of tectonic processes, the “morning star” has no generated magnetic field.

While we can only guess about the deep structure of our terrestrial neighbor, the data on the surface of the planet are quite eloquent. This is the hottest place in the solar system. It turned out that the temperature on the surface of the celestial beauty is very high and reaches 475⁰ Celsius. Under such conditions there is no water on the planet. It is absent in both liquid and vapor states. It is very dry and hot here - a real heat.

As for the Venusian landscape, here you can see a typical picture of primordial chaos. Two-thirds of the planet's surface is covered with flat and smooth plains formed by constant large-scale lava eruptions. The vast plains on the “morning star” are comparable in area to the Earth’s continents. During the study, the Venusian continents received names in honor of the goddesses of love, taken from myths different countries. The largest Venusian volcano, Maat, has a height of more than 8 thousand meters. This is higher than any terrestrial volcano. The Venusian plains are rugged with lava rivers, which in some places reach a length of 3-3.5 thousand kilometers.

The geological past of the planet is represented by mountainous regions, among which the Maxwell Ridge especially stands out. The maximum height of the mountain peaks is 11,000 meters.

The composition of the atmosphere of our cosmic neighbor

Distinctive feature the surface of the planet has become a small number of craters cosmic origin. The reliable protection of this distant world is the planet's atmosphere. The main component of Venusian air envelope- carbon dioxide. Present in the atmosphere in small quantities is nitrogen, water vapor, sulfuric acid and molecular oxygen. The lowest layer, 65 km thick, is the densest. Essentially, this is a sulfuric acid mist that has spread over the entire surface of the “morning beauty”. This is confirmed by the enormous pressure that is present on the surface of the planet, more than 93 bar. With altitude, atmospheric pressure drops and becomes similar to terrestrial parameters.

The high concentration of carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere is explained by high volcanic activity, which was observed on the planet in the past. Carbon dioxide continues to enter the atmosphere of Venus in large quantities today. This process is facilitated by intense lava eruptions that continue today. The high concentration of CO₂, water vapor and sulfur dioxide in the surface layer of the planet generates a strong greenhouse effect. Solar energy is retained by the dense atmosphere, which leads to significant overheating of the planet's surface. Because of this, the daily temperature difference on Venus is insignificant. The temperature gradually decreases with altitude, and the density of Venusian sulfuric acid clouds also decreases with altitude.

Morning Star Research

The first accurate data were obtained thanks to the flight of the Soviet spacecraft Venera-7, which landed on the surface of the second planet in the solar system on December 15, 1970. Subsequently, the Soviet space program "Venus" was continued. The Venera 9 and Venera 10 spacecraft provided the scientific community with images of the Venusian landscape. A distinctive feature of the planet's surface is the small number of craters of cosmic origin. The reliable protection of this distant world is the atmosphere of the planet.

Following the Soviet probes “Venus”, the American probes “Piner-1” and “Pioneer-2” went to the “morning star”, and began mapping the surface of Venus. Next came the turn of the Soviet Vega spacecraft, launched in 1984.

Most full information Scientists received information about our neighbor from the Magellan station, which worked in the orbit of the morning goddess for almost five years. Thereby spaceship We now have an accurate map of the Venusian surface. The most recent acquaintance with the second planet of the solar system can be called the flight of the ESA Venus Express spacecraft, which set off on a date on November 9, 2005.

Venus is the second planet in the solar system, with an orbital period of 224.7 Earth days. She is named after the Roman goddess of love. The planet is one of all that has received the name of a female deity. It is the third brightest object in the sky after the Moon and the Sun. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, it never moves more than 47.8 degrees away from it. It is best viewed before sunrise or a little after sunset. This fact gave rise to calling it the Evening or Morning Star. Sometimes the planet is called Earth's sister. They are both similar in size, composition and gravity. But the conditions are very different.

The surface of Venus is hidden by thick clouds of sulfuric acid, which makes it difficult to see its surface in visible light. The planet's atmosphere is transparent to radio waves. With their help, the relief of Venus was explored. Disputes continued for a long time about what was under the clouds of the planet. But many secrets have been revealed by planetary science. Venus has the densest atmosphere of all Earth-like planets. It mainly consists of carbon dioxide. This is explained by the fact that there is no life and no carbon cycle here. It is believed that in ancient times the planet became very hot. This caused all the oceans that existed here to evaporate. They left behind a desert landscape with many slab-like rocks. It is believed that due to the weak magnetic field, water vapor was carried into interplanetary space by the solar wind. Scientists have found that even now the atmosphere of Venus is losing oxygen and hydrogen in a ratio of 1:2. Atmosphere pressure 92 times more than on Earth. Over the past 22 years, the Magellan Project has been mapping the planet.

The atmosphere of Venus contains a lot of sulfur, and the surface shows signs of volcanic activity. Some scientists claim that this activity continues today. There is no exact evidence of this, because lava flows were not noticed in any of the depressions. The small number of craters indicates that the planet's surface is young: it is approximately 500 million years old. There is also no evidence of plate tectonic movement found here. Due to the lack of water, the planet's lithosphere is very viscous. It is assumed that the planet is gradually losing its high internal temperature.

Basic information

The distance to the Sun is 108 million kilometers. The distance to Earth varies from 40 to 259 million kilometers. The planet's orbit is close to circular. It revolves around the Sun in 224.7 days, and the speed of rotation around the orbit is 35 km per second. The orbital inclination to the ecliptic plane is 3.4 degrees. Venus rotates around its axis from east to west. This direction is opposite to the rotation of most planets. One revolution takes 243.02 Earth days. Accordingly, solar days on the planet are equal to 116.8 Earth days. In relation to the Earth, Venus makes one revolution around its axis in 146 days. The synodic period is exactly 4 times longer and amounts to 584 days. As a result, the planet faces Earth on one side at each inferior conjunction. It is not yet clear whether this is a simple coincidence or the gravitational attraction of Venus and Earth. The dimensions of the planet are close to those of Earth. The radius of Venus is 95% of the radius of the Earth (6051.8 kilometers), the mass is 81.5% of the Earth's (4.87·10 24 kilograms), and the average density is 5.24 g/cm³.

Atmosphere of the planet

The atmosphere was discovered by Lomonosov while the planet was passing across the disk of the Sun in 1761. It mainly consists of nitrogen (4%) and carbon dioxide (96%). Oxygen and water vapor are contained in trace amounts. Also, the atmosphere of Venus contains 105 times more gas than the Earth's atmosphere. The temperature is 475 degrees and the pressure reaches 93 atm. The temperature of Venus exceeds Mercury, which is 2 times closer to the Sun. There is a reason for this - the greenhouse effect, which is created by a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere. At the surface, the density of the atmosphere is 14 times less than that of water. Despite the fact that the planet rotates slowly, there is no difference in day and night temperatures. The atmosphere of Venus extends to an altitude of 250 kilometers. The clouds are located at an altitude of 30-60 kilometers. The cover consists of several layers. His chemical composition not installed yet. But there are suggestions that chlorine and sulfur compounds are present here. Measurements were taken from spacecraft that descended into the planet's atmosphere. They showed that the cloud cover is not very dense and looks like a light haze. In ultraviolet it looks like a mosaic of dark and light stripes, which are extended towards the equator at a slight angle. The clouds rotate from east to west.

The movement period is 4 days. From this it turns out that the speed of the winds that blow at the cloud level is 100 m per second. Lightning strikes here 2 times more often than in the Earth's atmosphere. This phenomenon was called the "electric dragon of Venus." It was first recorded by the Venera-2 apparatus. It was detected as interference in radio transmissions. According to data from the Venera 8 spacecraft, only a small portion of the sun's rays reach the surface of Venus. When the Sun is at its zenith, the illumination is 1000-300 lux. There are never bright days here. Venus Express discovered in the atmosphere ozone layer, which is located at an altitude of 100 kilometers.

Climate of Venus

Calculations show that if there were no greenhouse effect, the maximum temperature of Venus would not be above 80 degrees. In fact, the temperature of the planet is 477 degrees, the pressure is 93 atm. These calculations disappointed some researchers, who believed that conditions on Venus were close to those on Earth. Greenhouse effect leads to strong heating of the planet's surface. Here the wind is quite weak, and near the equator it increases to 200 - 300 m per second. Thunderstorms were also detected in the atmosphere.

Internal structure and surface

Thanks to the development of radar methods, it became possible to study the surface of Venus. The most detailed map was compiled by the Magellan apparatus. He photographed 98% of the planet. Vast highlands have been identified on the planet. The largest of them are the Land of Aphrodite and the Land of Ishtar. There are relatively few impact craters on the planet. 90% of Venus is covered with basaltic hardened lava. A significant part of the surface is young. With the help of Venus Express, a map of the planet’s southern hemisphere was compiled and published. Based on these data, hypotheses emerged about the existence of strong tectonic activity and oceans here. There are several models of its structure. According to the most realistic one, Venus has 3 shells. The first is the crust, which is 16 km thick. The second is the mantle. This is a shell that extends to a depth of 3300 km. Since the planet does not have a magnetic field, it is believed that there is no electric current which calls it. This means that the nucleus is in a solid state. In the center the density reaches 14 g/cm³. A large number of details of the planet's relief have female names.

Relief

The Venera-16 and Venera-15 spacecraft recorded part of the northern hemisphere of Venus. From 1989 to 1994, Magellan produced more accurate mapping of the planet. Ancient volcanoes were discovered here that erupt lava, mountains, arachnoids, and craters. The bark is very thin, as it is weakened by high temperatures. The land of Aphrodite and Ishtar is no smaller than Europe in area, and the Parnge canyons are longer than them. Lowlands similar to ocean basins occupy 1/6 of the planet's surface. On Ishtar Earth, the Maxwell Mountains rise 11 kilometers. Impact craters are a rare element of the planet's landscape. There are approximately 1000 craters on the entire surface.

Observation

Venus is very easy to recognize. She shines much brighter than any stars. It can be distinguished due to its smooth white color. Like Mercury, it does not move away from the Sun for long distance. She can move away from yellow star by 47.8 degrees at the moments of elongation. Venus, like Mercury, has periods of evening and morning visibility. In ancient times, it was believed that evening and morning Venus were two different stars. Even with a small telescope, changes in the visible phase of its disk can be easily observed. It was first observed by Galileo in 1610.

Walking across the disk of the Sun

Venus looks like a small black disk against the background of a large star. But this phenomenon is very rare. Over 2.5 centuries there are 4 passages - 2 June and 2 December. We could see the last one on June 6, 2012. The next passage is expected on December 11, 2117. Astronomer Horrocks first observed this phenomenon on December 4, 1639. It was he who figured it out.

The "Apparitions of Venus on the Sun" were also of particular interest. They were made by Lomonosov in 1761. It was also calculated in advance and was expected by astronomers around the world. His research was needed to determine parallax, which allows us to clarify the distance from the Sun to the Earth. This required observation from different points planets. They were carried out at 40 points with the participation of 112 people. Lomonosov was an organizer in Russia. He was interested in the physical side of the phenomenon and thanks to independent observations discovered a ring of light around Venus.

Satellite

Venus, like Mercury, does not have natural satellites. There used to be many claims about their existence, but they were all based on error. These searches were practically completed by 1770. Indeed, during the observation of the planet’s passage across the solar disk, no signs of the existence of a satellite were found. Venus has a quasi-satellite that orbits the Sun such that there is an orbital resonance between Venus and it, asteroid 2002 VE. In the 19th century, it was believed that Mercury was a satellite of Venus.

Interesting facts about Venus:

    Venus is not much smaller than Earth.

    It is the second planet from the Sun. The distance between them is 108 million km.

    Venus is a rocky planet. Refers to planets earth type. Its surface has a volcanic landscape and many craters.

    The planet revolves around the Sun in 225 Earth days.

    The atmosphere of Venus is toxic and dense. It consists of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. There are also clouds that consist of sulfuric acid.

    The planet has no satellites.

    More than 40 devices have explored Venus. In the 1990s, Magellan imaged approximately 98% of the planet.

    There is no evidence of life.

    The planet rotates in the opposite direction compared to the others. The sun sets here in the east and rises in the west.

    Venus can cast a shadow on the Earth's surface on a moonless night. This planet is the brightest of all.

    There is no magnetic field.

    The planet's sphere is ideal, unlike the Earth's, which has a flattened sphere at the poles.

    Thanks to strong winds, clouds completely circle the planet in 4 Earth days.

    It is impossible to see the Earth or the Sun from the surface of the planet, since it is constantly shrouded in clouds.

    The diameter of craters on the surface of Venus reaches two or more kilometers.

    There is no change of seasons due to the slow rotation around the axis.

    It is believed that there used to be large reserves of water here, but due to solar radiation it evaporated.

    Venus is the first planet seen from space.

    The size of the planet is smaller than the size of the Earth, the density is lower, and the mass is 4/5 of the mass of our planet.

    Due to the low force of gravity, a person weighing 70 kg on Venus will weigh no more than 62 kg.

    Our earthly year is slightly more than a Venusian day.

The planet closest to us has a very beautiful name, but the surface of Venus makes it clear that in fact there is nothing in its character that would resemble the goddess of love. This planet is sometimes called Earth's twin sister. However, the only thing they have in common is their similar sizes.

History of discovery

Even the smallest telescope can track the shift of the disk of this planet. This was first discovered by Galileo back in 1610. The atmosphere was noticed by Lomonosov in 1761, at the moment when it passed by the Sun. Surprisingly, such a movement was predicted by calculations, so astronomers waited for this event with special impatience. However, only Lomonosov drew attention to the fact that when the disks of the star and the planet “touched”, a barely noticeable glow appeared around the latter. The observer concluded that this 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 the earth.

Planet

This planet is located in second place from the Sun. At the same time, Venus is closer than other planets to Earth. Moreover, before space flights became a reality, it was almost impossible to find out 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 completes a full revolution around our star in almost 225 Earth days.
  • Its mass is 0.815% of the mass of the Earth, which is equal to 4.867 * 1024 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 less than the Earth's, amounting to 12,104 km. The force of gravity is almost the same as ours - our kilogram will weigh only 850 grams there. Because the planet's size, composition, and gravity are so similar to those of Earth, it is commonly referred to as "Earth-like."

The uniqueness of Venus is that it rotates in a different direction than other planets. 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 complete 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. The remaining 20% ​​of the planet are giant mountains called Ishtar Land, Aphrodite Land, Alpha and Beta regions. These massifs consist mainly of basaltic lava. Many craters have been discovered in these areas, with an average diameter of more than 300 kilometers. Scientists quickly found an 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 eruptions have ended on the planet. This question is of significant importance in the question of the evolution of the planet. The geology of the “twin” is still very poorly understood, but it provides a basic understanding of the structure and processes of formation of this celestial body.

It is still unknown what the core of the planet is 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 absence of such activity remains a mystery to astronomers. The most popular point of view, which more or less explains this phenomenon, is that perhaps the process of solidification of the core has not yet begun, therefore convective jets generating 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 this is to blame. According to calculations, if our planet moved just 10 million kilometers closer to the star, this effect would get out of control, as a result of which the Earth would simply warm up irreversibly and the death of all living things.

Scientists simulated a situation where the temperature on Venus was not so high, and found that then it would have oceans similar to those on Earth.

There are none on Venus that would need updating in a hundred million years. Judging by the available data, the planet's crust has been motionless for at least 500 million years. However, this does not mean that Venus is stable. Elements rise from its depths, heating the bark and softening it. Therefore, it is likely that the planet’s topography will undergo global changes.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of this planet is very powerful, barely transmitting the light of the Sun. But this light is not like the one we see every day - these are just weak scattered rays. 97% carbon dioxide, almost 3% nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor - this is what Venus “breathes”. The planet's atmosphere is very poor in oxygen, but there are enough various compounds for clouds to form 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

Nowadays, the planet is explored not only by means of aircraft, but also by means of radio emission. Extremely unfavourable conditions on the planet make it much more difficult to study. Nevertheless, over the past 47 years, 19 successful attempts have been made to send devices to the surface of this celestial body. In addition, six space stations have provided valuable information about our closest neighbor.

Since 2005, a ship has been in orbit around the planet, studying the planet and its atmosphere. Scientists hope to use it to discover 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 yet 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

At twilight, Venus is visible very well. Sometimes its sparkle is so bright that shadows are created from objects on Earth (like moonlight). Under suitable conditions, it can be observed even during the daytime.

  • The age of the planet by cosmic standards is very small - about 500 million years.
  • less than on 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 its gigantic size, not a single crater on Venus is practically visible, since the planet is well hidden by clouds
  • Chemical processes in clouds contribute to the formation of acids.

Now you know a lot of interesting things about the mysterious earthly “double”.