The planet closest to us has a very beautifulthe name, but 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 Earth's twin sister. However, the only thing that makes them related is similar sizes.
History of discovery
Even the smallest telescope can be trackeddisk shift of this planet. It was first discovered by Galileo back in 1610. The atmosphere of this planet was noticed by Lomonosov in 1761, at the moment when it passed by the Sun. Surprisingly, such a movement was predicted by computation, so astronomers have been waiting for this event with particular impatience. However, only Lomonosov drew attention to the fact that with the “contact” of the disks of the star and the planet, a subtle radiance appeared around it. The observer concluded that this 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 on the secondplace At the same time, Venus is closer than other planets to Earth. At the same time, before flights into space became a reality, almost nothing was known about this celestial body. Very little was known:
- It is removed from the star at a distance of 108 million 200 thousand kilometers.
- The day on Venus lasts 117 Earth days.
- It makes a complete revolution around our star in almost 225 Earth days.
- Its mass is 0.815% of the mass of the Earth, which is 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 less than that of the earth by 600 km,is 12104 km. The force of 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 Earth’s parameters, it is commonly called “earth-like”.
The uniqueness of Venus is that it does not rotate inthe side to which other planets are doing this. Similarly, only Uranus "behaves" itself. Around its axis Venus, the atmosphere of which is very different from ours, turns around for 243 days. The planet has time to turn around the Sun in 224.7 days, equal to ours. This makes the year on Venus shorter than the day. In addition, day and night on this planet change, but the time of year is always one.
Surface
Поверхность Венеры составляют по большей части hilly and almost flat plains, founded by volcanic eruptions. The remaining 20% of the planet is gigantic mountains named Land Ishtar, Land of Aphrodite, Alpha and Beta regions. These arrays consist mainly of basaltic lava. In these areas, found many craters, the average diameter of which is more than 300 kilometers. Scientists quickly found the answer to the question why it is impossible to find a crater on Venus of a smaller size. The fact is that meteorites, which could leave a relatively small footprint on the surface, simply do not reach it, burning in the atmosphere.
The surface of Venus is rich in diversevolcanoes, but it is not clear whether the eruption on the planet ended. This question is essential in the evolution of the planet. The geology of the "twins" is still very poorly understood, and it gives the basic understanding of the structure and processes of formation of this celestial body.
It is still unknown is the core of the planetliquid substance or solid matter. But scientists have found that it does not have electrical conductivity, otherwise Venus would have a magnetic field similar to ours. The absence of such activity remains a mystery for astronomers. The most popular point of view, which more or less explains this phenomenon, is that, perhaps, the process of solidification of the nucleus has not yet begun, because convective jets that generate a magnetic field cannot be born in it yet.
Температура на Венере достигает 475 градусов.For a long time, astronomers could not find an explanation for this. However, today, after a lot of research, it is believed that the greenhouse effect is to blame. According to calculations, if our planet had approached only 10 million kilometers closer to the star, this effect would have gotten out of control, as a result of which the Earth would simply be irreversibly warming up and the death of all life.
Scientists have modeled a situation where the temperature on Venus was not so high, and found that then it would have been similar to the terrestrial oceans.
На Венере нет литосферных плит, которые бы needed to be updated in a hundred million years. According to the available data, the crust of the planet is immobile for at least 500 million years. However, this does not mean that Venus is stable. From its depth rise elements that heat the bark, softening it. Therefore, it is likely that the relief of the planet is expected to global changes.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of this planet is very powerful, barelytransmits the light of the sun. But this light is not similar to the one that we see every day - these are just faint scattered rays. 97% carbon dioxide, almost 3% nitrogen, oxygen, inert gases and water vapor - this is what Venus "breathes". The atmosphere of the planet is very poor in oxygen, but various compounds suffice to form clouds of sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide.
The lower layers of the atmosphere surrounding the planet are practically motionless, but the wind speed in the troposphere is most often higher than 100 m / s. Such hurricanes merge together, skirting the entire planet in just four of our days.
Research
Nowadays, exploring the planet is not onlyby means of aircraft, but also by radio emission. Extremely adverse conditions on the planet make it difficult to 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, the trajectory of the six space stations provided valuable information about our nearest neighbor.
Since 2005, the orbit of the planet is a shipstudying the planet and its atmosphere. Scientists expect with his help to open more than one secret of Venus. Currently, the device has transmitted a large amount of information to Earth, which will help scientists learn much more about the planet. For example, it became known from their reports that hydroxyl ions are present in the atmosphere of Venus. Scientists have no idea how to explain this.
One of the questions that experts would like to answer: what kind of substance at a height of about 56-58 kilometers absorbs half of the ultraviolet rays?
Observation
At dusk Venus can be seen very well.Sometimes its sparkle is so bright that shadows are created from objects on Earth (as from moonlight). In suitable conditions, it can be observed even in the daytime.
Interesting Facts
- The age of the planet by space standards is very small - about 500 million years.
- The size of Venus is smaller than that of the 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.
- Despite its gigantic size, not a single crater on Venus is practically visible, since the planet is well hidden by clouds
- Chemical processes in the clouds contribute to the formation of acids.
Now you know a lot of interesting things about the mysterious earthly "twin".
