What is on the planet venus. Why does Venus rotate counterclockwise? Hypotheses

What do you know about the planet Venus? Most likely, not so much, since you are reading this article. We have prepared a brief description for you, in two versions: for adults and for the youngest astronomers.

Why exactly Venus?

Venus was the name of the ancient Roman goddess, originally the former goddess of the sky, after changing her position to the goddess of beauty (in the Greek version of Aphrodite).
Venus is the second planet after the Sun. It is extremely close to us, hence its emissivity, it emits light very brightly to our eyes. "Morning Star", unshakably shining during sunsets and sunrises.

Venus was called the sister of the Earth, it is very similar to ours native land although not very friendly to us. Conditions for life in any form on it are impossible. We still cannot see what the surface of this big sister of our home is, as it is hidden behind huge amounts of sulfur clouds and carbon dioxide, which in turn create a massive greenhouse effect. The "cloud layer" until today does not allow us to study the planet normally, so it remains the most unexplored to this day.

a brief description of

Venus produces its rotation far from the Sun by as much as 108 million km, despite the impressive numbers, on the scale of space - this is not so much, and this value almost always remains unchanged, since the orbit of this planet is an even circle. However, the distance relative to the Earth changes constantly - from 38 to 259 million km. The average diameter of this planet is 12,104 km, the density is 5.24 g/cm3 (the Earth's is 5.52 g/cm3). The mass is about 80% of the mass of the Earth - 5 1024 kg. The acceleration of gravity is also close to the earth's - 8.87 m/s2. Venus has no satellites. Already, until the 18th century, scientists repeatedly tried to find at least one satellite, but their attempts were in vain.

A year on the planet lasts only about 225 days, Earth days. are the longest in solar system: they go 243 days - that's 18 days longer than a year on the planet. Venus moves in orbit at a speed of 35 km/s. The inclination of the orbit relative to the ecliptic is 3.4 degrees. The axis of rotation is close to the perpendicularity of the orbital plane, due to which the northern and southern hemispheres have almost no difference in illumination by the Sun, hence the lack of a change in seasons on the planet. Another difference between Venus and other planets is that it has different directions of rotation and circulation. Scientists believe that this is a consequence of a grandiose collision with a powerful space body, which subsequently changed the orientation of the axis of rotation.

Venus is called an Earth-like planet because of its similar size, similarity in mass and composition. But the elemental conditions on this planet cannot be called similar to those on earth. At the heart of the filler of its atmosphere is carbon dioxide, there is a lot of it here. Lots of. Another thing that Venus can boast of is, perhaps, atmospheric pressure, which exceeds the earth's by as much as 92 times, that is, if you got to this planet, before dying from unbearable heat, you would simply be crushed by the atmosphere. It's great, right?

Humans do not have access to visual observation of this planet because it is covered by a dense veil of sulfur clouds. For our eyes, they are opaque, as well as for artificial satellites, therefore, we cannot know for sure what surface Venus has.

Only radar waves made it possible for us to partially study the relief of the planet, since the Venusian clouds transmit radio waves. As a result of the work done, astronomers found out that there are countless traces of volcanic activity on the surface of Venus, but despite this, active volcanoes scientists in this industry have not found. A huge number of craters were not seen on Venus, which indicates the youth of the planet's surface.

Atmosphere

Venus has a very complex atmosphere, which makes it impossible for our scientists to visually observe the surface. Venus seems to say: "I don't want you to watch me, don't do it!". The lion's share of the local atmosphere is occupied by carbon dioxide, it is already 96%, 3% is nitrogen, and the remaining 1% is accounted for by other substances such as: argon, water vapor and several others. In addition, sulfur clouds are present in large numbers in the atmosphere, and they directly make it inaccessible to visible light. Yet microwave, infrared and radio radiation manage to seep through them. It is 90 times more massive than Earth's. Venus is much warmer at 460° Celsius. The reason for this temperature was the greenhouse effect, which originates from the bulky density of carbon dioxide - the main filler of the atmosphere. The height of the atmosphere on Venus is about 250-350 km.

The atmosphere of Venus never stands still. It rotates and circulates at great speed. Its rotation period lasts only 4 days. The wind on this planet is also endowed with a superpower - about 100 m/s in the upper layers, which is much more than on our earth. But in the lower layers of the atmosphere, the wind specifically weakens, and reaches a speed equal to 1 m / s. From two poles, Venus is limited by powerful vortices formed from polarities, having an S-shape.
The atmosphere on Venus is made up of several layers. The lower layer - the troposphere - makes up about 99% of the total mass and rises to an average height of 65 km. Due to the high surface temperature, this is the hottest layer of the atmosphere. The troposphere cannot boast of wind speed, however, with a climb, it increases tenfold, the temperature and pressure, in turn, decrease, and at a height of about 50 km they already become similar to terrestrial values. Also in the troposphere, most of the circulation of clouds on the planet is produced, there are weather conditions- various natural disasters, and even lightning, which hit a little more often than on Earth.
There is a small boundary between the troposphere and mesosphere - the tropopause. The conditions here are as close as possible to earthly conditions: the temperature is from 20 to 37 ° C, the pressure resembles that of the earth, approximately like at sea level.

The mesosphere resides from 65 to 120 km. Her Bottom part almost always has a temperature close to minus 110 ° Celsius. At an altitude of about 73 km, clouds begin, and from here the temperature of the mesosphere takes its long haul cooling. As a result of climbing, the temperature of the mesosphere gradually decreases to minus 43° Celsius. By 95 km, another pause begins, starting from the mesosphere - the mesopause, here the atmosphere, like a microwave, begins to heat up, gradually bringing the values ​​up to 125 degrees Celsius. A similar degree mark is in the overlying thermosphere, which has spread to the very top of the atmosphere.
At an altitude of 100 km in the ionosphere of Venus there is an ozone layer. It was formed like the earth.
Venus does not have its own magnetic attraction, although there is an induced magnetosphere formed by ions of sunlight.

Description of the planet for children

For children, a brief description of the planet Venus can be presented in the form of a competition, with questions and answers.
Children, do you know what your Venusian weight is?
What is the Venusian age?
Since our Earth and Venus are similar in size, you will remain almost the same, except to shed a few percent of the excess mass. So if you weighed 30 kg on Earth, those numbers would drop to 27 kg on Venus.

Short description, understandable for children

The planet Venus is considered one of the most unexplored planets. Like our planet, the planet Venus has its own personal atmosphere. But, the atmosphere of Venus is still much denser than that of the Earth, which makes it practically unexplored. It's hard to believe, but scientists have only recently been able to look under the thick clouds of Venus, filled with sulfuric acid.

We still don’t know for sure what the planet looks like, but we already have some idea. However, using conventional radio waves and probes, scientists in recent decades have been able to peer through the cloud barricade. It is believed that in the distant seventies, the USSR landed a probe on. With his help, we managed to get several pictures that were safely delivered. But this story not supported by any evidence, and there is no reason to believe that this is true.

Venus is not just called the sister of the Earth. After all, they are almost identical in many ways: in size, weight and density. In other words, Venus consists of the same materials as the Earth and in approximately similar proportions. Venus has volcanoes, mountains and valleys, just like our Earth. But still, if they are twins, then Venus is an evil twin. There is no life here, and most likely will not be in the next millions of years. There is no place on this planet where you can hide from the killing heat. She will be everywhere and cannot be quenched with a bottle of water. The atmosphere is 96% filled with carbon dioxide, which makes the planet a super-toxic place. No one will ever be able to survive on Venus.
Once upon a time, Venus was a planet as pleasant for life as the Earth. However, something went wrong, and for many millions of years, Venus has lost its course, now it lies much closer to the Sun than our planet. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, its temperature should have been a little higher than ours, but since there was water on the planet, the greenhouse effect began to appear. And all right, if the water heated up and evaporated without a trace - Venus would have life, and possibly a race that surpasses us in perfection. But water vapor began to appear, which, in turn, created a warming effect (greenhouse gases do not let air into space).

The second planet from the Sun and the closest to Earth is. The planet was named after the ancient Roman goddess of love Venus, because she is just as bright and delightfully beautiful. In addition, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. The planet has several characteristic features: for example, Venus rotates in the direction opposite to its orbit, unlike most planets in the solar system. Due to the low speed of rotation around its axis, a day here lasts longer than a year.

Venus is easy to see at night clear sky, since in brilliance it far surpasses many of the most bright stars. Venus, like Mercury, does not recede in the sky at a great distance from the Sun. In ancient times, it was believed that morning and evening Venus were different stars.

Venus has a fairly powerful atmosphere that transmits sunlight and heat not in the form of direct rays, but in the form of diffuse radiation. For comparison: the Earth absorbs 1.5 times more energy from the Sun than Venus. The existence of an atmosphere on the surface of Venus was discovered back in 1761 by the famous Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov. The atmosphere of Venus consists mainly of carbon dioxide (97%). The rest is nitrogen (about 3%), inert gases, water vapor and oxygen. The clouds of Venus are composed mainly of 75-80% sulfuric acid.

The temperature on the surface of Venus reaches 475ºС, and the pressure is about 100 atmospheres. Due to the high temperature and powerful atmosphere, a greenhouse effect is created on the planet. The water here is in a gaseous state (water vapour). Violent volcanic activity does not stop on the surface of the planet, which is confirmed by images from artificial satellites launched to the surface of the planet. The study of the planet is hampered by the high temperature near its surface, which modern space stations cannot withstand. Venus has no natural satellites.

Venus is the closest planet to Earth, only 40 million kilometers separate them. And yes, these are the sizes. space objects almost identical: the area of ​​Venus is only one-twentieth less. Their masses are also approximately equal, but Venus is slightly lighter. And Venus also moves around its axis clockwise, while the Earth and other planets of the solar system (except Uranus) - in the opposite direction.

Weight 4.87 1024kg

Diameter 12100 km

Density 5.25 g/cm3

The period of revolution around its axis is 243 Earth days

Orbital period 224.7 Earth days

Orbital speed 35 km/s

Distance from the Sun 108 million km

Acceleration of free fall on the surface 8.87 m/s²

Distance to Earth 40 - 259 million km

The planet closest to us has very beautiful name, however, 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 in the smallest telescope, you can track the shift of the disk of this planet. This was first discovered by Galileo in the distant 1610. The atmosphere was noticed by Lomonosov in 1761, at the moment when it passed by the Sun. It is amazing 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 considered that the surface of Venus is covered with an atmosphere very similar to that of the earth.

Planet

From the Sun, this planet is located in second place. 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. 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 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 the parameters of the Earth, it is commonly called "Earth-like".

The uniqueness of Venus is that it does not rotate in the direction in which other planets do it. 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. The remaining 20% ​​of the planet are giant mountains called the Land of Ishtar, the Land of Aphrodite, the regions of Alpha and Beta. These massifs consist mainly of basaltic 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 various volcanoes, but it is not yet clear whether 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 "twin" 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, which more or less explains 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 this is to blame. 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 living things.

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

There are none 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 global changes await the relief of the planet.

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, and water vapor - this is what Venus "breathes" with. The atmosphere of the planet is very poor in oxygen, but there are enough various compounds to form clouds from sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide.

Bottom layers surrounding the planet atmospheres are practically stationary, 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 through aircraft but also with the help of radio emission. Extremely unfavourable 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, six space stations allowed us to obtain valuable information about our closest neighbor.

Since 2005, a ship has been in orbit around 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 do not yet know how this can be explained.

One of the questions that experts would like to get an answer to: 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 in the daytime.

• The age of the planet by space standards is very small - about 500 million years.
• less 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.
• In spite of giant 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".

Venus is the second planet in the solar system with an orbital period of 224.7 Earth days. It is named after the Roman goddess of love. The planet is one of all that has received the name of a female deity. In terms of brightness, this is the third object in the sky after the Moon and the Sun. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, it never moves away from it more than 47.8 degrees. It is best viewed before sunrise or a little after sunset. This fact gave reason to call her the Evening or Morning Star. Sometimes the planet is called the sister of the Earth. 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 studied. The debate about what is under the clouds of the planet continued for a long time. But many secrets have been revealed by planetology. 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 carbon cycle. It is believed that in ancient times the planet was very hot. This led to the fact that all the oceans that existed here evaporated. They left behind a desert landscape with large quantity slab-like rocks. It is believed that due to the weak magnetic field, water vapor was carried away 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 larger than the earth. Over the past 22 years, the planet has been mapped by the Magellan project.

The atmosphere of Venus contains a lot of sulfur, and the surface bears signs of volcanic activity. Some scholars argue that this activity continues today. There is no exact evidence for this, because lava flows have not been seen in any of the depressions. A small number of craters suggests that the surface of the planet is young: it is about 500 million years old. Also found no evidence tectonic movement plates. Due to the lack of water, the planet's lithosphere is very viscous. It is assumed that gradually the planet loses its high internal temperature.

Basic information

The distance to the Sun is 108 million kilometers. The distance to the 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. To the plane of the ecliptic, the inclination of the orbit 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, a solar day on the planet is 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 is 584 days. As a result, the planet faces the Earth on one side at each inferior conjunction. It is not yet clear whether this is a mere coincidence or whether the gravitational attraction of Venus and the Earth is acting. The dimensions of the planet are close to those of the 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.

planetary atmosphere

The atmosphere was discovered by Lomonosov at the time when the planet was passing over the disk of the Sun in 1761. It mainly consists of nitrogen (4%) and carbon dioxide (96%). It contains trace amounts of oxygen and water vapor. 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. 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 compounds of chlorine and sulfur are present here. Measurements were taken from the sides spacecraft that descended in the atmosphere of the planet. They showed that the cloud cover is not very dense and looks like a light haze. In the ultraviolet, it looks like a mosaic of dark and light bands, which are elongated to the equator at a slight angle. Clouds rotate from east to west.

The movement period is 4 days. From this it emerges that the speed of the winds that blow at the level of the clouds is 100 m per second. Lightning here strikes 2 times more often than in the Earth's atmosphere. This phenomenon has been called the "electric dragon of Venus". It was first recorded by the Venera-2 spacecraft. It was detected as interference in a radio transmission. According to the Venera-8 apparatus, only a small part sun 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 the ozone layer in the atmosphere, which is located at an altitude of 100 kilometers.

Climate of Venus

As calculations show, if there was no greenhouse effect, Maximum temperature 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. The greenhouse effect leads to a strong heating of the planet's surface. Here the wind is rather weak, and near the equator it intensifies to 200-300 m per second. Thunderstorms have also been 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. Extensive elevations 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 solidified lava. Much of the surface is young. With the help of Venera Express, a map was compiled and published southern hemisphere planets. On the basis of these data, hypotheses appeared about the existence of strong tectonic activity and oceans here. There are several models of its structure. According to the most realistic, 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 has no magnetic field, consider that there is no electric current which calls it. This means that the core is in a solid state. In the center, the density reaches 14 g/cm³. A large number of details of the relief of the planet has female names.

Relief

The apparatus "Venera-16" and "Venera-15" recorded part of the northern hemisphere of Venus. From 1989 to 1994, Magellan produced more accurate mapping of the planet. Here, ancient volcanoes were discovered that erupt lava, mountains, arachnoids, craters. The bark is very thin as it is weakened high temperature. The Land of Aphrodite and Ishtar are no smaller than Europe in area, and the Parnge canyons surpass them in length. Lowlands similar to oceanic depressions occupy 1/6 of the planet's surface. On Ishtar Land, the Maxwell Mountains rise 11 kilometers. Impact craters are a rare feature of the planet's landscape. There are approximately 1000 craters on the entire surface.

Observation

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

Passage on the disk of the Sun

Venus looks like a small black disk against a large luminary. But this occurrence is very rare. For 2.5 centuries there are 4 passages - 2 June and 2 December. We could observe the last one on June 6, 2012. The next passage is expected on December 11, 2117. The astronomer Horrocks first observed this phenomenon on December 4, 1639. It was he who calculated it.

"Phenomena of Venus on the Sun" was also of particular interest. They were made by Lomonosov in 1761. It was also calculated in advance and expected by astronomers around the world. His research was needed to determine the parallax, which allows you to specify the distance from the Sun to the Earth. This required observation from different points of the planet. They were held in 40 locations with the participation of 112 people. Lomonosov was the organizer in Russia. He was interested in the physical side of the phenomenon and, thanks to independent observations, discovered a rim of light around Venus.

Satellite

Venus, like Mercury, has no natural satellites. There used to be a lot of claims about their existence, but they were all based on a mistake. These searches were practically completed by 1770. After all, during the observation of the passage of the planet across the disk of the Sun, signs of the existence of a satellite were not found. Venus has a quasi-satellite that revolves around the Sun so that there is an orbital resonance between Venus and it, asteroid 2002 VE. In the 19th century, Mercury was considered to be a satellite of Venus.

Interesting Venus Facts:

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 solid planet. Refers to the 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 is made up of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. There are also clouds that are made up of sulfuric acid.

The planet has no satellites.

Venus has been explored by more than 40 vehicles. In the 1990s, Magellan mapped approximately 98% of the planet.

There is no evidence of life.

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

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

There is no magnetic field.

The sphere of the planet is ideal, in contrast to the earth, which has a flattened sphere at the poles.

Thanks to strong wind 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, as clouds constantly envelop it.

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

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

Supposed to have been here before. large stocks water, but thanks solar radiation she evaporated.

Venus is the first planet seen from space.

The dimensions of the planet are smaller than the dimensions of the Earth, the density is lower, and the mass is equal to 4/5 of the mass of our planet.

Due to the low gravity, a 70 kg person on Venus would weigh no more than 62 kg.

Our Earth year is slightly longer than a Venusian day.

Every student knows about the existence of the planet Venus in the solar system. Not everyone will remember that it is the closest to the Earth and the second from the Sun. Well, only a few will be able to name more or less accurately the period of revolution of Venus around the Sun. Let's try to close this knowledge gap.

Venus - the planet of paradoxes

It's worth starting with short description planets. Closer to the Sun in our system is only Mercury. But it is Venus that is closest to the Earth - at some moments the distance between them is only 42 million kilometers. By space standards, this is quite a bit.

Yes, and in size, the neighboring planets are quite similar - the length of the equator of Venus is 95% of the same indicator for the Earth.

But in the rest, continuous differences begin. To begin with, Venus is the only planet in the solar system that has a reverse or retrograde rotation around its axis. That is, the Sun here does not rise in the east and sets in the west, as on all other planets, but vice versa. Very unusual and unusual!

Length of the year

Now let's talk about the period of revolution of Venus around the Sun - it is almost 225 days, or, more precisely, 224.7. Yes, that's how long it takes the planet to make a complete revolution around the sun - 140 days more than it takes the Earth. No wonder - the farther the planet is from the Sun, the longer the year there.

But the speed of the planet in space is quite high - 35 kilometers per second! In one hour it travels 126,000 kilometers. Just imagine the distance that it travels in a year, given the sidereal period of Venus' revolution around the Sun!

When the day is longer than the year

Speaking about the period for which Venus makes a complete revolution around the nearest star, it is worth noting its period of revolution around its own axis, that is, a day.

This period is really impressive. It takes the planet 243 days to make just one rotation around its axis. Just imagine these days - longer than a year!

It is because of this that the inhabitants of Venus, if they existed there (the existence of at least some kind of life is very doubtful because of the features that we will talk about a little later), would find themselves in an unusual position.

The fact is that on Earth the change of time of day occurs due to the rotation of the planet around its axis. Still, a day here lasts 24 hours, and a year is more than 365 days. On Venus, the opposite is true. Here, the time of day depends more on exactly where the planet is in its orbit. Yes, this is what affects which parts of the planet will be illuminated by a hot star, and which will remain in the shade. Because of this state of affairs, it would be very difficult to live by the clock here - midnight would sometimes fall in the morning or evening, and at noon the sun would not always be at its zenith.

Unfriendly planet

Now you know what is the period of revolution of the planet Venus around the Sun. You can tell more about her.

For many years, science fiction writers, relying on scientists' assertion that Venus is almost the size of Earth, have inhabited it in their works with a variety of creatures. Alas, in the middle of the twentieth century, all these fantasies collapsed. The latest data have proven that at least something can hardly survive here.

Start at least with the winds. Even the most monstrous hurricanes of the Earth will seem like a light pleasant breeze in comparison. The speed of the hurricane is about 33 meters per second. And on Venus, almost without stopping, the wind blows up to 100 meters per second! Not a single terrestrial object would have resisted such pressure.

The atmosphere is also not very rosy. It is completely unsuitable for breathing, as it consists of 97% carbon dioxide. Oxygen is either absent here, or present in the smallest volume. Besides, the pressure here is simply monstrous. At the surface of the planet, the density of the atmosphere is approximately 67 kg per cubic meter. Because of this, stepping on Venus, a person would immediately feel (if he had time) the same pressure as in the sea at a depth of almost a kilometer!

And the temperature here is absolutely not conducive to a pleasant pastime. During the day, the surface of the planet and the air warms up to about 467 degrees Celsius. This is much more than the temperature of Mercury, the distance from which to the Sun is half that from Venus! This is easily explained by the extremely dense atmosphere and the greenhouse effect created by the high concentration of carbon dioxide. On Mercury, heat from a hot surface simply evaporates into outer space. Here, the dense atmosphere simply does not allow him to leave, which leads to such extreme indicators. Even at night, which lasts four Earth months, it becomes only 1-2 degrees cooler here. And all because of the fact that greenhouse gases do not allow heat to escape.

Conclusion

This is where the article can end. Now you know the period of revolution of Venus around the Sun, as well as other features of this amazing planet. Surely this will significantly expand your horizons in the field of astronomy.