Venus planet (Shukra garah)

General Knowledge Geography

Venus (Shukra in Hindi)

 “Goddess of Spring, Beauty and Love”

  • Symbol

           

  • Age 4.5 billion years ago
  • Diameter 12,103.6 km
  • Mean radius 6,051.8 km
  • Volume 9.2843 x 1011 km3
  • Mass 4.8675 x 1024 kg
  • Mean density 5.243 g/cm3
  • Satellite/ natural moons none
  • Composition 95% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen, 0.015% Sulphur dioxide and small amount of others gases like argon, water vapours, carbon monoxide, helium, neon.
  • Discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610.
  • Colour brilliant yellow white
  • Distance from Sun 107.87 million km
  • Rotation Period 243 Earth days
  • Revolution/orbital period 225 Earth days
  • Direction of rotation east to west (clockwise or Retrograde rotation)
  • Classified as inner terrestrial planet, interior planet or inferior planet
  • It is the second planet from the Sun.
  • It is second largest terrestrial planet among Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.
  • It is the sixth largest planet in the solar system.
  • It is the hottest planet of the solar system.
  • It is the nearest/neighbour planet to the Earth and Mercury.
  • It can be seen with naked eyes.
  • The Sun rise can be seen on Venus only twice in a year.
  • Sunlight takes about six minutes to travel from Sun to Venus.
  • It is the slowest spinning planet in the solar system.
  • It is closest in size, mass and density to its orbital neighbour earth, that’s why it is known as ‘Earth’s twin’ or Earth’s Fiery Twin’ or ‘Earth’s sister planet’.
  • It is an inferior planet (Inferior means that the planet which orbit closer to the Sun than the Earth).
  • This Planet is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty named Venus. It is the only planet named after a female god whose function encompass love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory.
  • It is the brightest planet of our solar system and the third brightest object in Earth’s sky after Sun and Moon.
  • Venus is known as the “Evening star” when it appears in the western sky as well as “Morning star” when it appears in the eastern sky.
  • It can be seen easily after the sunset and before sunrise.
  • It is one of four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). It means that it has a solid surface and it is made up of thin and rocky material.
  • This thick atmosphere of Venus primarily composed of CO2, with traces of nitrogen and other gases.
  • It is surrounded by thick and dense atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide with a thick, global sulfuric acid cloud, hence it is known as “Veiled Planet.” The global cloud cover consists of Sulphuric acid clouds which contribute to its intense greenhouse effect. Its thick atmosphere and greenhouse effect makes it hotter than Mercury. Its surface temperature averages 464 degree Celsius.  
  • The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times more than that of Earth’s at sea level.
  • The surface of Venus planet is hostile, with no oceans or liquid water. Instead, it features highland regions, volcanic structures and vast plains.
  • It rotates in retrograde direction from east to west when viewed from above its North Pole.
  • Venus doesn’t have a moon but it does have a temporary quasi-satellite that has officially been named Zoozve. It is discovered on 11th Nov 2002 by Brian A. Skiff at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff Arizona United States.
  • Venus has an active surface, with evidence of volcanic activity. Its landscape includes impact craters, lava flows and volcanoes. The surface of the Venus is dominated by more than 80,000 volcanoes. Largest volcano on Venus is Maat Mons, it is massive shield volcano on the planet which rises 9 km.  
  • Maxwell Montes is a mountain range on Venus, of which Skadi Mons is the highest with an altitude of 10,700 meter above mean planetary radius. Maxwell Montes extensive highland on Venus is discovered by Maxwell Montes in 1967.
  • Mead Crater is an impact crater on Venus named in honor of anthropologist Margaret Mead with a diameter of 280 km. It is the largest impact crater on Venus.

Missions on Venus:

  • Important Venus exploration missions are Mariner 2, Mariner 5, Mariner 10, Pioneer Venus 1, Pioneer Venus 2, Magellan Orbiter.
  • Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to successfully flew by Venus on 14 December 1962.
  • Shukrayaan 1 also known as Venus Orbiter Mission. It was ISRO’s first Planned mission to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus.
  • Upcoming Venus missions are DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), Veritas, EnVision.