Astrophysics (Index)About

Venus

(second inner-most planet in the solar system)

Venus is the second solar system planet from the Sun. By many characteristics it is the most-Earth-like of other solar system planets, but with some distinct differences as well. Characteristics:

often cited as negative to indicate retrograde rotation).

It has no moons. It is a rocky planet with an extremely dense atmosphere (92 atm) with more than 95% carbon dioxide, but has a minimal magnetic field. Its rotation is strikingly slow and retrograde (opposite of its orbit; among the other solar system planets, only Uranus's rotation is retrograde). Its surface temperature is 737 K, far hotter than any other solar system planet including Mercury, apparently the end effect of a runaway greenhouse effect, consistent with the striking amount of a greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) in its atmosphere. Other than carbon dioxide, the atmosphere is mostly nitrogen with traces of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and clouds of sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

There is some thought that Venus formerly had liquid water on the surface, potentially for billions of years, presumably long enough for life to take hold and evolve, before the extreme greenhouse effect took hold.

There has been relatively little exploration of Venus (as compared to Mars), due to the extreme challenge of operating equipment at its temperature. The Soviet Union launched the majority of missions specifically to study Venus; NASA launched a few and also has had a number of incidental flybys allowing for some observation, in part to use Venus for gravity assists in flights to other solar system destinations.


(planet,solar system)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observations_and_explorations_of_Venus
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/overview/
RedshiftParsecs
/Distance
Lightyears
/Lookback Years
  
~00.3AU~0lynearestVenus
~01.3AU~0lyfurthestVenus

Referenced by pages:
apparent magnitude (m)
astronomical symbol
atmosphere
atmospheric tide
BepiColombo
Capella
carbon dioxide (CO2)
carbonate-silicate cycle
DAVINCI
Earth analog
EnVision
equilibrium temperature (Teq)
flyby
Galileo
gravity assist
greenhouse effect
habitable zone (HZ)
late heavy bombardment (LHB)
Magellan
magnetic field
magnitude
meteoroid
moment of inertia factor
moon
obliquity
Parker Solar Probe (PSP)
phosphorus (P)
Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO)
Pluto
point source
precession of the equinoxes
retrograde orbit
rocky planet
rotation period
Shapiro delay
solar day
Solar Orbiter (SolO)
solar system object (SSO)
supercritical fluid (SCF)
superrotating wind
tidal locking
Titius-Bode law
transit
transiting planet
twinkling
Venus Express
VERITAS
VERITAS

Index