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Venus Earth’s Sister planet Roman Goddess of Love Venus - Bringer of Peace It is closer to the Sun than we are so appears low down in the sky. Either as an Evening or Morning Star. At the moment it is the Morning Star Terrestrial Planets Venus facts 1 Terrestrial planet structure comprising core-mantle-crust, and similar composition to that of the Earth. No tectonic motion but may still be some volcanic activity. Conditions determined by a runaway greenhouse effect. Surface invisible from outside due to dense cloud cover, upper clouds move very rapidly, can orbit planet in 4 days. Hopes for our luxurious Sister Planet were dashed in the Sixties by fly-by, orbiter and lander probe missions. The Magellan Probe in 1989 mapped 98% of the surface from orbit using radar. Venus facts 2 Diameter (12100 km) Mass Volume Gravity = 95% Earth diameter (12800 km) = 82% Earth mass = 86% Earth volume = 0.9 g Sidereal year (one solar orbit) Sidereal day (longer than a Venus Year) Venusian day (sunrise to sunrise) Synodic period (as viewed from Earth ) = = = = 225 days 243 days 117 days 584 days Rotation is backwards, axial tilt = 177º; the Sun, if you could see it, would rise in the West, and set in the East. The Rotation of Venus Sidereal Year = 225 days Sidereal Day = -243 days Venusian Day = 117 days Venus facts 3 Temperatures greater than + 460° Celsius, atmospheric pressure is 90 times that on Earth, atmosphere is 96% Carbon Dioxide, and Nitrogen, and the rain is sulphuric acid. Phases of Venus Cloud surface is very reflective, 76% albedo, it is at its brightest between inferior conjunction and maximum elongation, the reduction in phase is more than compensated by its closeness to earth. Transits of Venus When Venus passes between the Sun and Earth Rare Astronomical event. Why? Because Venus’ orbit around the Sun is inclined relative to Earth’s orbit Transits occur in pairs over a 243 year cycle, the pair separated by 8 years Venus transits the Sun 8th June 2004 full transit visible 6th June 2012 in transit at sunrise then not until 2117 & 2125 The 1769 transit of Venus was observed from several observatories. The measurements made helped to give an accurate distance from the Sun to Earth using a method of parallax Captain Cook’s expedition observed the transit of Venus from Tahiti On his return voyage he circumnavigated and charted both North and South Island New Zealand. Landed at Botany Bay Australia Claimed both Australia and New Zealand for King George III