Biggest Secrets of Venus
Although the second planet in this solar system have similar names but the Roman goddess of love is not loving the planet. For starters, the planet's surface reaches 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Therefore, this second planet has been named as the hottest planet in the solar system. Worse, a thick blanket of carbon dioxide pressure 92 times Earth's atmospheric pressure in the dry landscape. Dull clouds blocking the view of the planet's surface is sulfuric acid.
As envisioned, studying Venus proved to be a difficult job. Little by little, scientists are learning more about the neighbors of this Earth. Here are some of the largest misteris of the brightest objects in the sky after the sun and moon.
Earth-like climate
Venus is sometimes referred to as the 'evil twin' of Earth. In size, composition and location of the orbit, the actual planet Venus hell termirip Earth. In the early history of Venus, scientists suspect that world very much like Earth, the oceans and the climate colder.
However, more than a few billion years, the greenhouse effect that is very influential. Venus is about one-third closer to the sun than Earth. Therefore, Venus gets the sun twice as much. This extra heat causes the evaporation great in the beginning of the water surface.
In the end, trapped water vapor heat hotter. Further warming the planet triggers a greater evaporation until the oceans were dried up and disappeared. "This mechanism makes sense from the beginning of Venus is like Earth into Venus today," said curator Astrobiology David Grinspoon, 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 'stove' to help the modeling of the Earth climate change and avoid a similar fate of Earth from Venus.
Atmospheric super rotation
Venus around its axis is much slower than the Earth. As a result, a year in a similar Venus 243 Earth days. On this basis, it is known winds in Venus's cloud tops can reach 360 km / h or 60 times the speed of rotating planets.
Proportionately, if a similar wind up on Earth, the equatorial cloud winds reach amazing speeds, 9650 km / hour. Driving the rapid rotation of Venus is the energy of sunlight, said Grinspoon. However, the full workings of this phenomenon remains a mystery.
Spinning upside down
When viewed from the north pole of the sun, all planets in our solar system orbit the sun in the opposite direction and rotates in the direction of its axis almost everything. But not for Venus. This second planet has a retrograde rotation like Uranus.
That is, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east on the planet. Clockwise rotation is probably the result of cosmic collisions early in the history of Venus.
Mysterious lightning
Lightning from the clouds of Venus is still an open question. Although the spacecraft Venus Express has 'heard' that is characteristic of static electromagnetic generate lightning on Earth, the camera has never been 'caught' by lightning, says Grinspoon.
The way the formation of lightning is still mysterious. On Earth, the key role played by ice crystal clouds. On Venus, the supply of this material is very rarely found in the atmosphere is very dry.
Alien life on Venus?
Grinspoon acknowledge reasonable arguments about the life of Venus, not on the surface of the planet are super hot but in the clouds. About 50 miles 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. Surely, these creatures will tolerate sulfuric acid. On the other hand, extremophiles on Earth show, life can thrive in even the harshest environments. "It is necessary to explore the cloud for various reasons. One possibility is the existence of exotic life, "lid Grinspoon.