(ORDO NEWS) — Despite the fact that Venus is located farther from the Sun than Mercury , its surface temperature is higher than the surface temperature of the planet closest to the star.
This is due to the fact that Venus is endowed with an atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, which is almost 100 times more massive and 55 times denser than the earth. To be more precise, the density of the Venusian atmosphere is only 15 times inferior to the density of liquid water.
The special nature of Venus
Venus rotates very slowly around its own axis (the rotation period is about 243 Earth days) and, therefore, has no magnetic field.
In addition, there are no plants and oxygen-producing cyanobacteria on the surface of Venus, so it does not have an ozone layer. The absence of a magnetosphere and an ozone layer leads to the fact that solar radiation destroys water molecules, and fast moving molecules of very light hydrogen fly into outer space.
One of the key differences between Earth and Venus is that these planets store their carbon in different places.
On Venus, a huge amount of carbon is concentrated in the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, and on our planet – in the earth’s crust in the form of carbonates (the most common is calcium carbonate (CaCO3), mainly in the form of calcite).
Calcite accounts for about 4% of the total mass of the earth’s crust, making it an incredibly large carbon store.
In the crust of Venus, due to the higher temperature the planet is closer to the Sun than the Earth carbonates such as calcite become unstable, causing them to break down into carbon dioxide (CO2) and calcium oxide (CaO).
At the beginning of the Solar System ‘s history , when the Sun was less bright and hot, Venus and Earth were probably more similar planets than they are today.
Earth’s atmosphere was thicker than it is now and contained more carbon. On the surface of Venus, there could well be oceans, and a large amount of carbonates was hidden in the crust.
Over time, the Earth’s atmosphere has become thinner as most of the carbon has gone into the crust. On Venus, due to the higher temperature, this did not happen. Most of the carbon remained in the atmosphere, and the decay of carbonates that were in the crust also began.
Venus and the greenhouse effect
Venus receives the lion’s share of solar energy in the ultraviolet and visible parts of the spectrum. It gives off, re-radiates energy in the infrared region of the spectrum, since the temperature of Venus is significantly lower than the temperature of the Sun. However, most of this energy cannot escape into space because the very dense atmosphere blocks it.
As a result, heat is trapped and accumulated, providing an average surface temperature of 462 degrees Celsius, making Venus the hottest planet in the entire solar system!
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.