Venus: Location, Size, Composition and Features
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Introduction
Venus is the second planet from the sun in our solar system. Its orbital day lasts for approximately 225 Earth days, and it does not have a moon or any other similar satellite orbiting around it. It is the brightest and the most easily recognizable astral body from the Earth, after the Moon. Named after the Roman Goddess of love and fertility and often linked with femininity in popular culture and mythology, this paper examines the physical description, unique features and the significance in the solar system of the planet Venus.
Venus is located approximately 108,200,000 km away from the Sun. In terms of its size, Venus is often considered to be Earth’s sister, i.e. it has approximately the same size, density, mass, gravity and composition as that of Earth. Its diameter is 12092 km, which is 650 km less than that of Earth, and its molecular mass is roughly 80% of Earth’s own mass. .
Despite having similar density and size, the composition of Venus differs widely from that of Earth. Unlike home, 96% of the atmosphere of Venus is comprised of carbon dioxide and the remaining 4% is nitrogen. There are no traces of oxygen, indicating that there are no water reserves and that life on this planet is impossible. .
Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. It has a dense atmosphere that traps carbon dioxide, due to the greenhouse effect. This results in surface temperatures soaring to over 400 degrees Celsius. At such high temperatures, even lead would melt! Scientists have reported that every probe sent to Venus was destroyed after only a brief time from its entrance in the atmosphere of Venus. .
The surface of Venus is dry with no traces of water. It comprises primarily of flat and smooth plains, accompanied by over a thousand active “super-volcanoes” and a 5000 km long lava canal that flows throughout the planet at various locations. A re-designed image from one of the probes shows Venus surface as under:
(Photograph shows Venus surface: http://www.universetoday.com/47905/why-is-venus-so-hot/)
Atmosphere
Venus has a dense, carbon-dioxide containing atmosphere that exerts an atmospheric pressure which is 92 times greater that of Earth’s atmospheric pressure. The thick environment is also accompanied by heavy traces of sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid. Scientists predict that the sulfur dioxide is caused primarily due to water reserves, which may have existed on the planet millions of years ago. It is widely hypothesized that since the planet revolves around its axis 225 times slower than Earth, it was not able to create magnetic fields powerful enough to withstand thermal storms and UV rays emitted from the sun during solar flares. This led to evaporation of water and excessive greenhouse effect that made the planet thick with carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid which rendered all water reserves, and any traces of life on the planet depleted and extinct. .
Unique Features
Venus has always been an intriguing planet for astronomers and science-fiction writers alike. The planet, which is almost identical to Earth, is yet so different. It has a rocky terrain and is not made up o gas. This suggests that millions of years ago, Venus could have possibly been a planet with life. It possesses unique features; such as several crowns or coronas. These are described as large, ring-like structures that span over 500 km in length. Scientists believe that these structures are formed when hot magma from beneath the crust seeps up to the surface and forms great depressions and mounds over the years, as it cools down. . An illustration is shown below:
(Venus Corona: http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/430/879/F12.expansion.html)
The planet revolves around the sun as overtakes the Earth every 584 days. During this phase, the planet is viewable as a morning star- just before sunrise, as compared to its original status for being a night-star (viewable only at night-time). As it passes the Earth, Venus displays similar phases as that of the moon. One of these phases is the “Crescent Phase”, where it is viewable as a thin crescent located between the Earth and the Sun around the near side.
It is during this stage that another unique feature of Venus is observed. The Ashen Light, as it is called, is a clearly visible illumination of a dark spot on the planet. The first observation of the Ashen Light dates back to the year 1643, but the reason behind this occurrence and its own existence is yet to be verified. Some scientists argue that the Ashen Light visibly demonstrates evidence of electrical activity on the surface of the planet, while others dismiss the Ashen Light as an illusory, physiological and psychological effect of carefully observing a thin crescent of Venus from a telescope. .
Importance of Venus
Although a planet with extreme climate, moulds of lava and thick atmosphere that renders life impossible, Venus is an essential part of our solar system. By absorbing massive amounts of solar flares into its own atmosphere, it significantly reduces the residual solar flare coming in contact with the Earth’s magnetic field. This exposes human beings to a much-reduced level of radiation as it would have had Venus not existed. Furthermore, Venus is a rocky planet which holds together all nearby asteroids and meteorites, keeping Earth safe from devastating astral body collisions. .
Works Cited
Baum, R. (2000). The enigmatic ashen light of Venus: an overview. Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 110.
Choi, C. Q. (2012, June 04). Venus, Second Planet from the Sun, Brightest Planet in Solar System. Retrieved from space.com: http://www.space.com/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html
Glaze, L. S. (2012). Transport of SO2 by explosive volcanism on Venus. Journal of Geophysical Research, 18899-18906.
Lakdwalla, E. (2009, September 21). Venus looks more boring than you think it does. Retrieved from The Planetary Society: http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2009/2105.html
