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Venus is the sixth largest planet in the Solar System.
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Similar in size, density, and mass, Venus and Earth often referred to
as sister planets. However the surface and atmosphere of the two
planets are drastically different.
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The atmosphere of Venus is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (96%)
and nitrogen (3%), with traces of other gases and little to no water
vapor.
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Venus would have a cold climate if it weren't for the high
concentration of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere (96%). The high
albedo on Venus reflects the majority of the solar radiation that
reaches it, but carbon dioxide, a well known greenhouse gas, keeps the
planet extremely warm. In fact the surface temperature of Venus is over
480 degrees C (900 degrees F).
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The clouds in Venus' atmosphere are composed of sulfuric acid which
causes the planet to reflect 65% of the sunlight that reaches it. Thus,
Venus the third brightest object in the sky (third only to the Sun and
the Moon).
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The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus is that 90 times the
pressure on Earth..
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The surface of Venus is very dry with flat plains, highland regions,
and depressions.
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The interior of Venus is composed of a central iron core and a molten
rocky mantle, similar to the composition of Earth.
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The rotation of Venus is very slow. A day on Venus (243 Earth days) is
longer than a year (224.7 Earth days). The rotation is also opposite
from that of Earth, with the Sun rising in the West.
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Venus has been visited by over 20 spacecrafts. The first visit was made
by Mariner 2 in 1962. The Soviet Venera 7, which visited Venus in 1970,
was the first spacecraft to land on another planet. A recent visit made
by the Magellan, launched in 1989, produced high resolution maps of the
surface using radar.
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Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
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