Venus – UPSC Prelims

Venus is the second planet from the sun.

It is sixth in the solar system in size and mass.

It is similar in structure but slightly smaller than Earth (Earth’s Twin).

Venus has a thick and toxic atmosphere that consists primarily of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulfuric acid droplets.

Temperature: The planet’s surface temperature is about 465 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead.

Venus is one of just two planets that rotate from east to west. Only Venus and Uranus have this “backward” rotation.

Life on Venus: Venus’s extreme temperatures and acidic clouds make it an unlikely place for life.

Venus does not have any moons, a distinction it shares only with Mercury among the planets in the Solar System.

It is the hottest planet in the solar system because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide which works to produce an intense greenhouse effect.

Venus has the longest day (the time the planet takes for a single rotation on its axis ) of any planet in our solar system.

Venus takes ~243 Earth days to rotate around its axis while it takes only 225 Earth days to revolve around Sun. So, on Venus a Day is longer than a year.

Venus spins on its axis almost upright (meaning it lacks noticeable seasons) while Earth has more of a tilt. Venusian tilt at about 2.64 degrees. Earth’s is about 23.5 degrees.

The Venusian planetary core has a diameter of about 7,000 km comparable to Earth’s core which is about 6,970 km.

Venus core is almost certainly consists of iron and nickel, though it is unclear whether it is solid or molten.