Venus is the second planet from the sun and the closest planet to Earth.Named after the Roman Goddess of love, romance, and fertility, Venus sure is one of the prettiest parts of our Solar System. While it may not be a dwarf planet or the smallest planet, Venus has plenty of things that are enough to excite anyone.The eight planets, in order of their distance outward from the sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Venus is deemed the hottest planet in our Solar System and is considered the most hostile towards any form of life. It is deemed the third brightest object in our night sky after the sun and our own natural satellite, which has inspired many people to study this brilliant celestial body. The planet is also made special by the fact that it is one of the only two in the Solar System which do not rotate in an anti-clockwise motion on their axis. Keep reading to learn more facts about Venus!Which planet is second from the sun?The Solar System has been a matter of interest and intrigue among people for many years. There are many reasons behind this, one of them being the fact that it is mystical and has the potential to reveal much about our own existence and that of other life forms.One of the planets in the Solar System which has particularly interested us is the planet Venus. It is one of the few terrestrial planets which presents many features that are food for thought. It may not be the most massive planet in our Solar System but the fact remains that this terrestrial planet’s surface is quite intriguing. More than this, what has motivated scientists to direct their attention towards this planet is its atmosphere.Venus has been known to humankind since the 14th century when the Babylonians first spotted it. The planet’s atmosphere makes it one of the brightest objects in Earth’s sky. Being the second-largest planet among the terrestrial ones, Venus was clearly visible. What assisted in its visibility was the fact that its atmosphere is composed of such elements which reflected most of the sun’s radiation back into space. Due to such reflection of the sun’s rays, the planet appears quite bright in Earth’s sky.Another factor that has contributed to making this planet such a huge part of discussions in learned circles is its rotational period. Venus is one of the only two planets which rotate around their axis in a clockwise motion. The only other planet in our Solar System which is known to show such a phenomenon is Uranus. In fact, Venus also has almost no axial tilt. As we know, Earth’s axial tilt is a major factor in the seasons that we experience. However, in the case of Venus, the axial tilt is not there. This essentially means that this planet does not experience any seasonal variations whatsoever. Another interesting fact about this planet is that Venus is said to have orbited the sun in anti-clockwise motion like most of the other planets. The direction of its orbit is assumed to have changed after the planet collided with a meteor or asteroid sometime in the distant past. The rotational period of Venus is also very slow, which is one of the many reasons why this planet is so hot.Venus is considered to be one of the least hospitable planets in our Solar System. This theory stems from the fact that the surface temperature of this planet is estimated to be around 896 F (480 C). Understandably, this is much higher than the temperatures that we experience on Earth. While the fact that Venus is closer to the sun than we are is valid, the temperature of the planet is made so high by other factors as well. Life, as we know it on Earth, would be impossible to sustain on Venus. This contests the assumptions that were made by many scientists until in-depth research was held regarding this planet. Many people seemed to be of the opinion that since the planet was so similar to Earth in terms of size and mass, it would have been a great place in the Solar System to look for signs of life. Even though research held regarding the surface of the planet Venus does reveal that it had many large water bodies in the past, those water bodies have now evaporated due to the extreme temperatures on the planet. It is in fact the hottest planet in our Solar System, which is odd considering that Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is!The outer layer of Venus consists of a toxic atmosphere. The atmosphere of this planet consists of carbon dioxide, which makes up 97% of the composition. The rest of the 3% is made up of nitrogen. The planet Venus also has a huge concentration of carbon monoxide which is not a gas that would be able to sustain life. Unlike Earth’s atmosphere, Venus has a very thick layer of sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide. These are responsible for throwing back much of the sun’s radiation that tries to penetrate into this terrestrial planet. Unlike Earth’s orbit, which is elliptical in shape, Venus’ orbit is almost circular.Venus is also known as Earth’s sister planet. Earth does not share the same characteristics in terms of its interior with other terrestrial planets such as Mars and Mercury. However, Venus is said to consist of three distinct layers, just like Earth. These layers are known as core, mantle, and crust. While the exact nature of Venus’s core is nearly impossible to make an estimate of, it is assumed, based on the similarities that the hottest planet of the Solar System shares with our own planet, that it also has a liquid core. However, it is also important to note here that there is a completely different school of thought that seems to be of the opinion that much of the features of this planet’s surface, as well as its atmosphere, can be explained by how different its core is from that of Earth.Which goddess is Venus named after?Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty because it shines brighter than any other planet in our Solar System.Venus is the second planet from the sun. Being the second closest planet to our central star, this planet receives a lot of solar radiation. The factor which makes it one of the brightest objects in Earth’s night sky is that a large portion of the radiation that planet Venus receives is sent back into space. Venus was also the first planet to ever be explored by a spacecraft sent from Earth. This shows the amount of interest that the people of Earth take in this planet. The spacecraft was sent by NASA and was named Mariner 2.Venus is also known by many other names. These names are Morning Star (Phosphorus) and Evening Star (Hesperus). It was assumed by the Greeks and Romans that the Morning Star and Evening Star were two different celestial objects. This idea stemmed from the fact that whenever Venus runs ahead of Earth’s orbit, it appears in two different places on the horizon when the sun rises and when it sets.Another factor that sets Venus apart from the other planets is the fact that one Venusian day is longer than a Venusian year! This sounds quite absurd but once the sun rises for one side of Venus, it remains there for 117 Earth days. On the other hand, Venus orbits the sun in 225 Earth days.Venus is the third brightest object in the night sky, after the sun and the Earth’s moon. Venus has no natural satellites or moons of its own. The planet also lacks rings like the gas giant Jupiter in the Solar System.The first spacecraft to ever explore the planet was Mariner 2, but the first spacecraft that ever landed on the surface of Venus was Venera 7. Much of the research that has taken place regarding this planet was initiated by NASA and the Soviet Union. Research is mostly held through radar mapping. The Magellan Probe was one such spacecraft that used the methods of radar mapping in order to find out features of the planet.How did Venus become so hot?The question as to why Venus is so much hotter than Earth has baffled scientists since they first discovered that our two planets are similar sizes but have very different temperatures.One explanation may be due to differences in atmospheric composition between these worlds: while both contain carbon dioxide, the amount found on Venus is approximately 100 times greater than what we see here on Earth! That’s because the carbon dioxide on Venus can’t escape into space as easily. This traps more heat and makes the planet even hotter.Another possibility is that Venus’s rotation is much slower than Earth’s. A day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days. This means that one side of Venus always faces the sun, while the other side is in permanent darkness. The extreme temperatures on this dark side could be what makes it so much colder than the sunny side.The final possible explanation has to do with how close Venus orbits to the sun. Because it’s closer to our central star than Earth is, it receives more energy from the sun.There are many other interesting facts about this planet. One of them is the fact that its surface is around 300-400 million years old. It is assumed by many scientists that the planet may have had climatic conditions similar to those of Earth millions of years ago. Research held on the planet’s surface reveals many water bodies and craters. The surface of Venus is also covered in ‘pancake volcanoes.’ While the name may sound a little absurd, the features of these volcanoes make it extremely easy for us to justify it. These volcanoes erupted in such a way that the lava flowed equally in all directions, making a round, flat surface. Pancake volcanoes on Venus have a diameter of up to 9.3 mi (15 km) and are less than a mile in height.There are many reasons why Venus is called Earth’s sister planet. One of these reasons is that its size is similar to that of Earth. The difference between Earth’s diameter and that of Venus is a mere 396.4 mi (637.3 km). Venus also has around 81% of Earth’s mass and it is the closest planet to our own!
Venus is the second planet from the sun and the closest planet to Earth.
