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Physics LibreTexts

7.7: Planet Venus

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Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth’s twin because they are similar in size and both have cloudy atmospheres. It is also the closest planet Earth approaches, and besides the Moon, usually the second brightest object in the night sky. Venus is often called the Morning Star or the Evening Star because it is very bright when seen in the morning or evening sky.

Planet Venus at a Glance

Characteristic — Current State

  • Impact Craters – Yes
  • Tectonic Craters – Yes
  • Volcanoes – Yes; over 1,600 volcanoes – most on one body in the Solar System
  • Atmosphere – Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4), High Pressure, Clouds, Odd Polar Vortex
  • Water – No
  • Erosion – Yes
  • Dunes – Yes
  • Polar Caps – No
  • Satellites – No
  • Life – Unknown
Image of the planet Venus.
VenusPublic Domain | Image courtesy of NASA.
Image of Crater on the surface of Venus.
Crater on the surface of VenusPublic Domain | Image courtesy of NASA.
Image of Sif Mons Volcano on Venus.
Sif Mons Volcano on VenusPublic Domain | Image courtesy of NASA.

This page titled 7.7: Planet Venus is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lumen Learning via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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