Venus

by Jerry Coffey on May 5, 2008

Venus

Venus

Venus is sort of Earth’s black sheep twin. It has a similar orbit, mass, and surface area, but would kill you in an instant. The 96.5% carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is toxic to known life-forms. Standing on the surface, you would be exposed to 92 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth. It would be a race to see if you were crushed to death before you suffocated.

At one time scientists and science fiction writers alike thought that the surface of Venus was tropical in nature. Some believe that belief was the only reason that the Soviets launched a series of surface probes to the planet. After seven missions were crushed by the pressure before they could reach the surface, Venera 8 landed and disillusioned millions. Several other probes were able to land in the ensuing years. The last one launched was the Venus Express. It arrived in April of 2006 and studied the planet’s surface and atmosphere until it could no longer function.

Venus is often referred to as the Morning Star because it orbits closer to the Sun than our planet. This causes Venus to appear in the western sky after the sun sets and rise in the East before the sun breaks the horizon. In addition, only the sun and the Moon are brighter in our night sky. All of this makes Venus hard to ignore even with the unaided eye.

Below are links to articles about Venus here on Universe Today. You will find everything from the planet’s mass to how to locate in the night sky with your telescope or binoculars.

Jerry Coffey is a Registered Nurse and father of 5. He enjoys skydiving, astronomy, and time with his children.

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