Venus: “The Bright Morning Star”

1. Venus: “The Bright Morning Star” Jaye R. Cashen

2. Basic Facts about Venus • Venus is named after the roman goddess of love and beauty • Located between Earth and Mercury • Covered with thick clouds that create a greenhouse effect, causing it to become very hot • Temperature ranges from 900F+/-50F • At its closest, Venus is 41,840,000 km away from earth

3. Atmosphere • It’s atmosphere contains 95% Carbon dioxide, the other 5% contains nitrogen, sulfuric acid, and traces of other elements • It’s surface has a rocky, dusty, waterless expanse of mountains, canyons, and plains with a 200 mile river of hardened lava

4. Why does it have a Special Name? • Venus is the brightest object in the sky besides our Sun and Moon. It has an apparent magnitude of -4.6 (bright enough to cast shadows) It is referred to as the bright morning star because at sunrise it appears in the east . It is also known as the evening star because it appears in the west at sunset. Venus cannot be seen in the middle of the night.

5. Our Retrograde Sister • Being different from other planets, Venus rotates from east to west, engaging in retrograde motion. So if you were on Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east. • Venus is very similar to the size of the earth, which is the reason why Venus is known as Earth’s sister planet.

6. Possible Internal Structure • The similarity in size between Venus and Earth might suggest that they share a similar internal structure consisting of a core, mantel, and crust. Venus’s core is believed to be partially liquid because the two planets have been cooling at the same rate • Pressures could be a lot lower in it’s deep interior than earth, which explains its slightly smaller size

7. Changes of Venus • Venus’s average distance from the sun is 67.2 million miles. • It travels around the sun in a nearly circular orbit • When seen through a telescope, “changes” can be seen, which are phases resembling those of the moon • When Venus is moving toward the earth, it can be seen in early evening. When moving away from earth, it is visible in the early morning.

8. New Technology and Observations • Until recently, what geologists knew about the surface of Venus came from ground based radar observations, the Soviet Unions Venera space probes and the USA’s Pioneer probes. In 1990, the U.S launched the space probe Magellan, which began orbiting Venus, using radar to map the planets surface.

9. Well, hello there Hottie! • Venus is by far the hottest planet! • The temperature of it’s clouds averages to 55 degrees F, but the temperature of the surface is about 870 F, which is hotter than an oven. • No plants or animals that live on earth could survive on Venus and Astronomers doubt that there could ever be any life on Venus.

10. What is a Greenhouse Effect? • Venus’ high surface temperature is believed to be a cause of a greenhouse effect. A greenhouse lets in energy from the sun, but prevents the heat from escaping. Likewise, the Sun’s energy filters into Venus’ atmosphere but the droplets of sulfuric acid in its clouds and the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere trap the solar energy at the planets surface

11. Other Interesting Facts • Venus was the 1st planet to be observed by a passing spacecraft. The U.S Mariner 2 passed within 21,600 miles on Dec 14, 1962. They measured conditions on and near Venus. • Mass is four 5ths that of earth and gravity is slightly less than earth . Example: an object weighing 100lbs on earth would weigh 88lbs on Venus • Venus has been a known planet for quite some time, there are many references to “the bright morning star “ in the bible in relation to Jesus.