Planet Venus
"Venus" is slightly smaller than the
"Earth" and makes it's circuit around the
"Sun" in 225 of our days. Venus has an average distance
of 67,000,000 miles to the Sun. Compared to the average Earth's
distance to the Sun which is 92,900,000 miles, that puts Venus at
about 25 million 900 thousand miles closer. Every 19 1/2 months or
584 days, Venus will be nearer to the planet "Earth"
than any other planet in our solar system. The planet is covered
with a dense, white, cloudy atmosphere that conceals whatever is
below it. This same cloud reflects sunlight so effectively, that
when Venus is close to the Earth, it is the third brightest object
in the sky, exceeded only by the "Sun" and the
"Moon". Mariner 2, that did a fly by in 1962, detected a
ground temperature of 600+ 0F. and
was unable to detect any weak magnetic fields. The atmosphere on
Venus is nearly all carbon dioxide, that exerts a pressure at the
planet's surface equivalent to 100 times that of "Earth"
at sea level. Radar penetrations through the atmosphere have shown
surface features below the clouds. Large craters, continent size
highlands and huge extensive, dry ocean basins have been
identified. A day on Venus is equal to 117.4 "Earth"
days. A part, or portion of Venus will receive sunlight for 58
days and will be in darkness for 58 days. Some winds on Venus have
been measured from light to 200 miles per hour by the 1978 U.S.
Pioneer probes. Large craters up to 20 miles wide, and one crater
150 miles wide, have been found along with many lava flows. Some
older craters have been filled with lava. Although there is no
weathering due to water on Venus, the actions of wind is in
evidence. Extensive sand dunes have been seen, and wind blown
deposits indicate stable wind patterns for very long periods of
time.
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