Venus: Inferno of the Solar System
© Jason Wood
Nicknamed the "Morning Star" and the "Evening Star", Venus is the second planet from the sun, and the second brightest 'light' in the sky. It routinly appears for a couple of hours after sunset and a few hours before sunrise (when in the right orbit position). Venus is also the planet that comes closest to the Earth.
For most of history, Venus was referred to as our sister or twin. We know this to be very untrue now. About the only thing Earth and Venus have in common is size, or which Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth (Venus' diameter is only 408 miles smaller).
A more appropriate title would be "Hell" to describe Venus. It is by far the hottest planet in the solar system reaching temperatures as high as 500 degrees Celsius (932 degrees F).
The atmosphere is made up mostly of carbon dioxide, which causes the temperature of the planet to skyrocket in a greehouse effect gone out of control. The atmosphere is also 90 times more dense than Earth's. The clouds that surround Venus are mists of powerful sulfuric acid. Volcanic activity is the main reason for the acid, as it sprays sulfuric compounds into the air.
Venus also has 'continents'. Several masses of raised land act as the continents. If Venus did have an oxygen atmosphere and water, it would look a lot like our Earth.
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