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Venus
Mariner 10 image of Venus.
Mariner 10 image of Venus.
Diameter 12,104 km
7,520 mi.
Distance from the Sun 108 million km
67 million mi.
Number of moons 0
Length of day 243 days
Length of year 225 days
Atmosphere Components Carbon (96%)
Nitrogen (3.5%)

Venus is a planet, the second planet from the Sun and it is the sixth largest planet in the Solar System.

The planet has clouds made up of sulfuric acid that hide the planet's surface from view. It is not much to see, because the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere has given Venus a hellish surface temperature of 460°C (860°F) with an air pressure 90 times that of Earth. It is a desolate, waterless, rocky desert only.

With its reflective clouds and its relative closeness to Earth and the Sun, Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky (that is why they call it the morning and evening star). It is sometimes called the Earth's "twin planet" because it began as a very similar body, about the same size as Earth.

Roman God of Love[]

Venus was the goddess of agriculture, but was later identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and became known as a goddess of love.

Surface[]

Unclouded Venus

Hemispheric view of Venus produced by Magellan.

The surface of Venus is a rocky, dusty, waterless expanse of mountains, canyons, and plains. Most of Venus is relatively "new" lava plains about 300 million years old, marked by volcanic features and some impact craters. There are two highland "continent" features called Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra. The planet appears to be a barren desert covered by slab-like rocks and dust.

Life on Venus?[]

Venus is an unlikely place to find living things. The sulphuric acid is not the problem—there are bacteria on Earth which excrete and thrive in sulphuric acid. The immense pressure is not a problem—although it would splat you flat, there are creatures at the bottom's of the Earth's oceans who survive much greater pressures. These creatures are not crushed by the immense pressure since they are adapted to these conditions and the pressure inside their cells is just as great, thus counterbalancing the external pressure upon them. They also have special enzymes, since certain chemical reactions (those involving a tiny increase in volume) are inhibited at such pressures. The problem is the immense temperature. Even if liquid water existed under pressure, the heat would tend to disrupt complex molecules. However, the clouds of Venus are cool and it is likely that certain bacteria can survive and grow within the clouds. We also must ask ourselves if conditions are so harsh deep down inside the planet's crust. However, even if a place can be found where bacteria-like organisms could thrive, this does not mean that they would have evolved there—the temperatures really do seem prohibitively high.[1]

References[]

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