Venus

1. Venus

2. Venus • They named Venus in honor of the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

3. FACTS: • Venus is known as the Earth's "twin" because the two planets are so similar in size. • No other planet comes nearer to the Earth than Venus. At its closest approach, it is about 23.7 million miles away. • The diameter of Venus is about 7,520 miles approximately 400 miles smaller than that of the Earth.

4. MORE FACTS: • Venus is the 2nd planet closest to the sun • Its mean (average) distance from the sun is about 67.2 million miles • compared with about 93 million miles for the Earth • about 36 million miles for Mercury

5. REVOLUTION AND ROTATION: • Venus takes 223 days to orbit the Sun • or about 71/2 months, to go around the sun once, compared with 365 days, or one year, for the Earth. • Venus travels around the sun in a nearly circular orbit. • Venus rotates in the retrograde (opposite) direction and spins around once every 243 Earth days.

7. Venus in the Sky: • Venus is brighter than any other planet or even any star. • At certain times of the year, Venus is the first planet or star that can be seen in the western sky in the evening. • At other times, it is the last planet or star that can be seen in the eastern sky in the morning.

8. ATMOSPHERE: • The atmosphere of Venus is heavier than that of any other planet. • It consists primarily of carbon dioxide, with small amounts of nitrogen and water vapor. • Also contains minute traces of argon, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.

9. Atmosphere: • The atmospheric pressure (pressure exerted by the weight of the gases) on Venus is estimated at 1,323 pounds per square inch. • This is about 90 times greater than the atmospheric pressure on the Earth, which is about 14.7 pounds per square inch. • The atmosphere of Venus causes a very high surface temperature and gives the surface a perpetual red twilight

10. The Hottest Planet: • The temperature of the planet's surface is about 870 degrees F , higher than that of any other planet. • Venus's high surface temperature can be explained by what is known as the greenhouse effect. • A greenhouse lets in radiant energy from the sun, but it prevents much of the heat from escaping. • The sun's radiant energy readily filters into the planet's atmosphere. • The large droplets of sulfuric acid present in Venus's clouds -- and the great quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- trap much of the solar energy at the planet's surface.

11. SURFACE: • The surface of Venus is extremely hot and dry. • There is no liquid water on the planet's surface - high temperature would cause any liquid to boil away.

12. Computer generated 3-D view of Sif Mons using data from Magellan • Surface Features: • including level ground, mountains, canyons, and valleys. • About 65 percent of the surface is covered by flat, smooth plains. On these plains are thousands of volcanoes.

13. The Mead Crater - 280 km in diameter Craters on the Surface of Venus • The thick atmosphere of Venus does not protect the surface from impacts • Small projectiles burn up • Large projectiles make it to the surface

14. Through the Clouds: • difficulty learning about the surface of Venus due to the thick clouds of sulfuric acid. • They have used radar, radio astronomy equipment, and space probes to "explore" Venus.

15. Exploration: The first spacecraft to land on the surface was Venera 13 (Russian Spacecraft) • Venera 13 landed on the surface of Venus on March 1, 1982, survived 2 hours and 7 minutes and sent back 14 pictures

16. The Magellan Mission to Venus • The Magellan mission to Venus was launched May 4, 1989 and arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990 • Magellan used a high resolution radar to map the surface of Venus through the opaque clouds • Magellan worked for 4 years and mapped 98% of the surface of Venus

17. Magellan Probe

18. Venus