Greatest Secrets of Venus
Although the second planet in this solar system has a similar name Roman goddess of love, but the planet is not full of love. For starters, the planet's surface reaches 900 degrees Fahrenheit.Karenanya, the second planet was crowned as the hottest planet in the solar system. Even worse, a thick blanket of carbon dioxide pressing 92 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere in a dry landscape. Dull clouds that block the view of the planet's surface is sulfuric acid.
As envisioned, studying Venus proved to be a difficult job. Little by little, scientists learn more about Earth's neighbor. Here are some of the biggest misteris the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon.
1. similar climate BumiVenus sometimes referred to as the 'evil twin' of Earth. The size, composition and location of the orbit, the planet Venus is actually most similar hell Earth. In the early history of Venus, scientists suspect it's very similar to the Earth, the oceans and the climate is cooler.
However, more than a few billion years, the greenhouse effect that is very influential. About a third of Venus is closer than Earth's sun. Therefore, Venus gets sunlight twice as much. The extra heat causes the evaporation great in the beginning of the water surface.
In the end, the hot water vapor trapped more heat. Further warming the planet triggers a greater evaporation and eventually the oceans were dried up and disappeared. "This mechanism makes sense from the start that Venus as Earth into Venus at this time," said David Grinspoon curator of Astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Interdisciplinary scientist on Venus Express mission, the spacecraft orbiting Venus since 2006, is figuring out exactly when and how Venus became 'furnace' to help modeling the Earth's climate change and avoid a similar fate of Earth from Venus.
2 Atmospheric rotating super
Venus around the axis much more slowly than Earth. As a result, a year on Venus similar to 243 days on Earth. On this basis, it is known the wind in the Venus cloud tops can reach 360 km / h or 60 times the speed of rotating planets.
Proportionally, if the wind is similar appears on Earth, equatorial cloud winds reach amazing speeds, 9,650 km / h. Driving the rapid rotation of Venus is the energy of sunlight, Grinspoon said. However, the full workings of this phenomenon remains a mystery.
3 Turning upside down
When viewed from the north pole of the sun, all the planets in the solar system orbit the sun in the opposite direction and it almost unidirectional rotating axis. But not for Venus. The second planet like Uranus has a retrograde rotation.
That is, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east on the planet. Clockwise rotation of these cosmic collisions may result early in the history of Venus.
4 Lightning mysterious
Lightning from the clouds of Venus is still an open question. Although Venus Express spacecraft has 'heard' static electromagnetic characteristics which produce lightning on Earth, the camera has never 'catch' lightning, said Grinspoon.
The way the formation of lightning is also still a mystery. On Earth, played a key role the cloud of ice crystals. On Venus, the supply of these materials are very rarely found in a very dry atmosphere.
5. Alien Life on Venus?
Grinspoon acknowledges the argument makes sense on Venus's life, not on the surface of the planet's super-hot, but in the cloud. About 50 km above the clouds there should be a livable place that has a pressure and temperature as the Earth.
To get energy, floating creatures resembling bacteria can use sunlight or chemicals in the clouds. Obviously, this creature will tolerate sulfuric acid. On the other hand, shows the extremophiles on Earth, life could develop in even the harshest environments. "It is worth exploring the cloud for a variety of reasons. One of them is the possibility of the existence of this exotic life, "Grinspoon closed.
Although the second planet in this solar system has a similar name Roman goddess of love, but the planet is not full of love. For starters, the planet's surface reaches 900 degrees Fahrenheit.Karenanya, the second planet was crowned as the hottest planet in the solar system. Even worse, a thick blanket of carbon dioxide pressing 92 times the pressure of Earth's atmosphere in a dry landscape. Dull clouds that block the view of the planet's surface is sulfuric acid.
As envisioned, studying Venus proved to be a difficult job. Little by little, scientists learn more about Earth's neighbor. Here are some of the biggest misteris the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon.
1. similar climate BumiVenus sometimes referred to as the 'evil twin' of Earth. The size, composition and location of the orbit, the planet Venus is actually most similar hell Earth. In the early history of Venus, scientists suspect it's very similar to the Earth, the oceans and the climate is cooler.
However, more than a few billion years, the greenhouse effect that is very influential. About a third of Venus is closer than Earth's sun. Therefore, Venus gets sunlight twice as much. The extra heat causes the evaporation great in the beginning of the water surface.
In the end, the hot water vapor trapped more heat. Further warming the planet triggers a greater evaporation and eventually the oceans were dried up and disappeared. "This mechanism makes sense from the start that Venus as Earth into Venus at this time," said David Grinspoon curator of Astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Interdisciplinary scientist on Venus Express mission, the spacecraft orbiting Venus since 2006, is figuring out exactly when and how Venus became 'furnace' to help modeling the Earth's climate change and avoid a similar fate of Earth from Venus.
2 Atmospheric rotating super
Venus around the axis much more slowly than Earth. As a result, a year on Venus similar to 243 days on Earth. On this basis, it is known the wind in the Venus cloud tops can reach 360 km / h or 60 times the speed of rotating planets.
Proportionally, if the wind is similar appears on Earth, equatorial cloud winds reach amazing speeds, 9,650 km / h. Driving the rapid rotation of Venus is the energy of sunlight, Grinspoon said. However, the full workings of this phenomenon remains a mystery.
3 Turning upside down
When viewed from the north pole of the sun, all the planets in the solar system orbit the sun in the opposite direction and it almost unidirectional rotating axis. But not for Venus. The second planet like Uranus has a retrograde rotation.
That is, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east on the planet. Clockwise rotation of these cosmic collisions may result early in the history of Venus.
4 Lightning mysterious
Lightning from the clouds of Venus is still an open question. Although Venus Express spacecraft has 'heard' static electromagnetic characteristics which produce lightning on Earth, the camera has never 'catch' lightning, said Grinspoon.
The way the formation of lightning is also still a mystery. On Earth, played a key role the cloud of ice crystals. On Venus, the supply of these materials are very rarely found in a very dry atmosphere.
5. Alien Life on Venus?
Grinspoon acknowledges the argument makes sense on Venus's life, not on the surface of the planet's super-hot, but in the cloud. About 50 km above the clouds there should be a livable place that has a pressure and temperature as the Earth.
To get energy, floating creatures resembling bacteria can use sunlight or chemicals in the clouds. Obviously, this creature will tolerate sulfuric acid. On the other hand, shows the extremophiles on Earth, life could develop in even the harshest environments. "It is worth exploring the cloud for a variety of reasons. One of them is the possibility of the existence of this exotic life, "Grinspoon closed.