Venus is the most mysterious planet in the solar system. It is no coincidence that it was she who was named after the goddess of love and beauty from ancient Roman mythology. This is the only planet that bears the name of the goddess. All other planets are named after the male gods.
Instructions
Step 1
Ancient Greek astronomers mistook Venus as two completely different stars. The one they saw in the morning was called Phosphorus. The one that appeared in the evenings was called Hesperus. Later it was proved that this is one and the same celestial body. Venus is one of the brightest objects that can be seen from Earth. Only the Sun and the Moon are brighter. Venus can be seen so well not only because of its size. The distance from Earth to Venus is shorter than to other planets, and its atmosphere reflects the sun's rays very well.
Step 2
Venus is often referred to as Earth's twin sister. For a long time, up to the 70s. 20th century, scientists assumed that the climate and topography of Venus is similar to the climate and topography of the Earth. It was already known that the two planets are very close in a number of parameters. They have nearly the same size, composition, mass, density, and gravity. In 1761, the Russian scientist M. V. Lomonosov discovered the presence of an atmosphere on Venus. The only significant difference was the presence of a satellite for the Earth, while Venus has no satellites. Through telescopes, one could see only a dense curtain of clouds, which did not allow to see the surface of the planet. In their imaginations, scientists imagined a planet covered with dense tropical forests, and seriously discussed the idea that Venus could become a second home for earthlings.
Step 3
With the beginning of the space age, Venus became the most "visited" planet in the solar system. Since 1961, more than 20 spacecraft, probes and artificial satellites have been sent to explore Venus. All dreams of relocating people to Venus dissipated after the first research vehicles burned down in its atmosphere. Only the tenth device sent to study it was able to reach the surface of Venus, this happened in 1979. The surface temperature was measured - 500 degrees Celsius. It was found that the atmosphere of Venus is 96% carbon dioxide, which is 400 thousand times more than that on Earth.
Step 4
In 1975, the first pictures of Venus were taken. The sky on Venus is bright orange. All surfaces are brown or orange with a green tint in places. There is no water on the planet itself, water vapor is present in an insignificant amount in the atmosphere, its content is 0.05%. The clouds on Venus are poisonous, mostly composed of sulfuric acid. The relief of the planet is predominantly flat. Two areas were found that protrude strongly above the main surface. The largest plateau, called the Ishtar archipelago, is comparable in size to Australia. The highest point of Venus is Mount Maxwell, its height is 12 km. It is above Everest - the highest point on Earth.
Step 5
The entire surface of Venus is covered with craters. Craters were formed both due to the fall of meteorites and after volcanic eruptions. The planet looks like a hot desert, completely indented with craters. According to the latest research, Venus has active volcanoes. Some scientists believe that the climate on Venus can be changed. To do this, you just need to start the process of photosynthesis on the planet. Scientists propose to throw algae on Venus that are capable of rapid reproduction. By releasing oxygen, they will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The planet will begin to cool down, and conditions will appear for the development of the biosphere.
