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Venus, the second planet from the Sun, has
sometimes been called Earth's sister planet because they are similar in
size ,mass, and chemical composition. Although that is where the similarities
end. Unlike Earth, Venus is shrouded in a thick veil of carbon dioxide
with clouds of sulfuric acid floating above. The dense atmosphere traps
heat creating a greenhouse effect that create temperatures as hot as 900
degrees F, hot enough to melt lead. Since the thick clouds also reflect
light from the Sun, Venus is the brightest planet. Seen in the morning
just before sunrise or in the evening just after sunset.Venus rotates
slowly on its axis once every 243 Earth days. Which might explain why
it has no known satellites. It is also the only planet in the solar system
that rotates "backwards". So the Sun rises in the west and sets
in the east. It orbits the sun, along an egg-shaped ellipse, every 225
Earth days.Venus was created by volcanism, impacts, and deformation of
the crust. The surface is like a rocky dessert with rivers and craters
full of lava. In the north, an elevated region named Ishtar Terra is a
lava-filled basin larger than the United States. The highest point on
Venus is Maxwell Montes (10.5 miles), taller than Mount Everest, sits
at one end of Ishtar Terra. Near the equatory, the Aphrodite Terra highlands,
more than half the size of Africa, extend for almost 6200 miles. Although
there isn't any direct evidence to prove that there are active volcanoes.
Variations of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere lead scientists to believe
differently. The highest point on Venus is Maxwell Montes. A large volcanoe
taller than Mount Everest sits at one end of Ishtar Terra. Like Earth,
Venus has a metallic core (1900 miles) surrounded by a molten rocky mantle.
This mantle makes up most of the planet unlike Mercury. |
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