Venus - A Relative To Earth On Many Levels

On the plus side, Venus is close in size to earth and has similarities in mass, the composition of its elements and its distance from the sun. It is a terrestrial planet like ours, yet its atmosphere consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide, with some sulphuric particles involved. Venus has no water and thus does not permit life to exist.

 

A Reason to Call Venus a Direct Relative to Earth

Despite the differences, many astronomers consider the two planets linked because of the similarities outlined above. How can a planet of this size - which also has an iron core - end up being so different from Earth? The intense heat of 800 degrees Fahrenheit is what you would encounter upon landing on the planet. Venus is close to the sun and gets the full impact of its intensity. However, unlike the layers of air surrounding Earth, Venus instead has no way of keeping out the heat and no way of allowing the heat to escape once it arrives. The result is death for any species requiring oxygen and water to survive. There is no way life forms can exist.

 

Noteworthy Geological Features of Venus

Amateur astronomers will initially become enchanted by Venus when seeing the rings, which surround the planet. That fascination will continue when noting that the planet has an unusually high amount of volcanic activity. Space expeditions have noted thunder and lightning on the planet, but rain does not exist except in the case of falling sulphur drops. While these conditions make the planet seem impossibly inhospitable to animal and plant life, these conditions are thought it be different from those in Venus's past. Scientists have posited that water existed on the planet billions of years ago. A greenhouse effect spiralled out of control in that period and ended the possibility of any habitation. However, some people still believe that pockets of life could exist if the planet retained an atmospheric shield to the surrounding conditions.

 

Observing Venus from Earth

Venus has always been a favourite among stargazers because of its brightness. Besides, the sun, there is no celestial body as visible as Venus. With the sun low in sky in either its descent or ascent, Venus can be seen glowing brightly in the sky. However, it is possible to observe the planet at nearly any point in the day. It also has crescent phases much like our moon in which it can be viewed in quarter slices and other attractive formats. Unlike the moon, these phases of Venus require a telescope for viewing.

 

A Study of the Transits of Venus

Because of the angle at which Venus makes its orbit, the planet will not cross the face of the sun (and thus allow for spectacular views) when traveling between Earth and the sun. However, once every 243 years, Venus will make a dramatic transit to the delight of stargazers. In fact, the transit happens in pairs, at intervals of 8-9 years, making viewings available twice per period of 121+ years. The most recent occurrences in June of 2004 and 2012 highlighted the recent period of celestial activity.

Though Venus has a similar size when compared to Earth, it appears its true similarities ended in a period some billions of years ago. However, its periodic transits and proximity to us continue to make this planet a subject of fascination.

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