Astronomy

What is Nearest Planet to Earth?

Nearest Planet to Earth

The only discovered planetary system that is much known to man is our solar system. There are 12 planets in our solar system with 8 major and 5 dwarf planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune are the major planets. And the Nearest Planet to Earth is Venus.

Venus circles around the sun at a distance of about 67 million miles, while the Earth at about 93 million miles. When Venus and Earth are on precisely opposite sides of the sun, the distance between them is 160 million miles (93 million-plus 67 million).

Venus is not only the nearest planet to earth but it is also referred to as the sister planet of the earth as they are quite similar in size and gravity.

nearest planet to earth

Physical Properties

Astronomers have known Venus for thousands of years. The Ancient Romans give it the name Venus after the name of their goddess Venus. After the Moon, Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky that we can see.

Besides, it is sometimes that we call the morning star or the evening star. As at some elongations, we can easily see it just before the sun comes up in the morning and, at other elongations, just after the sun goes down in the evening.

Among all planets, Venus comes closer to the Earth and thus it is the nearest planet to earth. Now lets us know how venus is different from earth.

Venus is also a terrestrial planet like our Earth, its surface is made of rock. Venus is much hotter than Earth. There is a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in venus which acts as a blanket, trapping heat from the Sun. This is the greenhouse effect and it is very strong on Venus. Hence it makes the surface of Venus the hottest of any planet’s surface in the Solar System with an estimated average temperature of 480 °C (896.0 °F). However, this temperature is hot enough to melt lead or zinc.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of Venus mostly compromises of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas with clouds of sulphuric acid. The pressure is very very high because the atmosphere is so thick or dense. The pressure is almost 92 times the pressure on Earth, which is enough to crush many things.

It is impossible to see the planet’s surface from space as the thick cloud layer reflects 60% of the light that hits it. Scientists are only able to see it is by using infrared and ultraviolet cameras and radar.

Geography

Venus has no oceans or water body because it is much too hot for water. Its surface is a dry desert. Only radar can map the surface because of the clouds. The surface is about 80% smooth, rocky plains, made mostly of basalt.

There are two higher areas in venus which are called continents and make up the north and south of the planet. The north is termed Ishtar Terra and the south is known as Aphrodite Terra.

Transit of Venus

The transit happens when the planet Venus goes between the Sun and Earth. It is a syzygy and a partial occultation of the Sun. During a transit, Venus is seen as a small black dot going across the Sun. This transit phenomena usually take several hours.

It is the rarest of predictable events which happen in astronomy. This journey/movement follows a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart separated by long gaps of 121.5 years and 105.5 years.

To conclude, we can say, although Venus shares some surface features with the Earth, conditions on Venus are entirely different from Earth. It is an inhabitable planet because there is no water and the air is poisonous.

Solved Questions for You

Q.1. How much time does venus take for one rotation?

Ans- Venus takes 243 Earth-days to complete one rotation due to its slow rotation on its axis. So a day in venus is close to 8 months on the earth.

Q.2. In which direction venus rotates?

Ans- Most other planets rotate counter-clockwise on their axis, however, Venus, like Uranus, rotates clockwise. This retrograde rotation may be because of a collision with an asteroid or other objects which cause the planet to change its rotational path.

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