The planet Venus has the highest frequency. Surface of Venus: area, temperature, description of the planet

Venus is the second farthest planet from the main star in the solar system. It is often called the "twin sister of the Earth", because it is almost identical to our planet in size and is its kind of neighbor, but otherwise it has many differences.

Name history

The celestial body is called named after the Roman goddess of fertility. In different languages, the translations of this word vary - there is such a meaning as "the grace of the gods", the Spanish "shell" and Latin - "love, charm, beauty." The only one of the planets of the solar system, she has earned the right to be called a beautiful female name due to the fact that in ancient times she was one of the brightest in the sky.

Dimensions and composition, nature of the soil

Venus is quite a bit smaller than our planet - its mass is 80% of the earth. More than 96% of it is carbon dioxide, the rest is nitrogen with a small amount of other compounds. According to its structure the atmosphere is dense, deep and very cloudy and consists mainly of carbon dioxide, so the surface is difficult to see due to a kind of "greenhouse effect". The pressure there is 85 times greater than ours. The composition of the surface in its density resembles the basalts of the Earth, but it itself extremely dry due to the total absence of liquid and high temperatures. The crust is 50 km thick and consists of silicate rocks.

Research scientists have shown that Venus has granite deposits along with uranium, thorium and potassium, as well as basalt rocks. The top layer of soil is close to the earth, and the surface is strewn with thousands of volcanoes.

Periods of rotation and circulation, change of seasons

The period of rotation around its axis of this planet is quite long and is approximately 243 of our days, exceeding the period of revolution around the Sun, it is equal to 225 Earth days. Thus, a Venusian day is longer than one Earth year - this is the longest day on all the planets of the solar system.

Another interesting feature - Venus, unlike other planets in the system, rotates in the opposite direction - from east to west. At the closest approach to the Earth, the cunning "neighbor" always turns only one side, in between having time to make 4 revolutions around its own axis.

The calendar turns out to be very unusual: the Sun rises in the west, sets in the east, and the change of seasons is practically absent due to too slow rotation around itself and constant “baking” from all sides.

Expeditions and satellites

The first spacecraft sent from Earth to Venus was the Soviet Venera 1, launched in February 1961, whose course could not be corrected and went far past. More successful was the flight made by the Mariner-2, lasting 153 days, and the ESA Venus Express orbital satellite passed as close as possible, launched in November 2005.

In the future, namely in 2020-2025, the US space agency plans to send a large-scale space expedition to Venus, which will have to get answers to many questions, in particular, concerning the disappearance of the oceans from the planet, geological activity, features of the local atmosphere and factors of its change. .

How much to fly to Venus and is it possible?

The main difficulty of flying to Venus is that it is difficult to tell the ship exactly where to go in order to reach the destination directly. You can move in transfer orbits of one planet to another, as if chasing her. Therefore, a small and inexpensive device will spend a significant part of the time on this. A human foot has not yet set foot on the planet, and it is unlikely that she will like this world of unbearable heat and strong wind. Is it just to fly past...

Concluding the report, we note one more interesting fact: today nothing is known about natural satellites ah Venus. Also, it does not have rings, but it shines so brightly that on a moonless night it is perfectly visible from the Earth inhabited by people.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you

The planet Venus is our closest neighbor. Venus comes closer to the Earth than any other planet, at a distance of 40 million km or closer. The distance from the Sun to Venus is 108,000,000 km, or 0.723 AU.

The dimensions of Venus and the mass are close to those of the earth: the diameter of the planet is only 5% less than the diameter of the Earth, the mass is 0.815 of the mass of the Earth, and the force of gravity is 0.91 of the earth. In this case, Venus rotates very slowly around its axis in the direction opposite to the rotation of the Earth (ie, from east to west).

Despite the fact that in the XVII-XVIII centuries. various astronomers have repeatedly reported the discovery of the natural satellites of Venus. It is currently known that there are none on the planet.

Atmosphere of Venus

Unlike other terrestrial planets, the study of Venus with telescopes turned out to be impossible, since even M. V. Lomonosov (1711 - 1765), on June 6, 1761, observing the passage of the planet against the background of the Sun, he established that Venus is surrounded by "a noble air atmosphere, such (if only not more) than is poured around our globe of the earth."

The atmosphere of the planet extends to a height 5500 km, and its density in 35 times greater than the density of the earth. Atmospheric pressure in 100 times higher than on Earth, and reaches 10 million Pa. The structure of the planet's atmosphere is shown in Fig. one.

The last time the passage of Venus against the background of the solar disk in Russia, astronomers, scientists and amateurs, were able to observe June 8, 2004. And on June 6, 2012 (that is, with an 8-year interval), this amazing phenomenon can be observed again. The next passage will take place only after 100 years.

Rice. 1. The structure of the atmosphere of Venus

In 1967, the Soviet interplanetary probe "Venera-4" for the first time transmitted information about the atmosphere of the planet, which consists of 96% carbon dioxide (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. The composition of the atmosphere of Venus

Due to the high concentration of carbon dioxide, which, like a film, retains heat near the surface, a typical greenhouse effect is observed on the planet (Fig. 3). Thanks to the greenhouse effect near the surface of Venus, any existence of liquid water is excluded. The air temperature on Venus is approximately +500 °C. Under such conditions, organic life is excluded.

Rice. 3. Greenhouse effect on Venus

On October 22, 1975, the Soviet probe "Venera-9" landed on Venus and for the first time transmitted to Earth a television report from this planet.

General characteristics of the planet Venus

Thanks to Soviet and American interplanetary stations, it is now known that Venus is a planet with a complex relief.

Mountainous terrain with a height difference of 2-3 km, a volcano with a base diameter of 300-400 km, and
hundredth about 1 km, a huge hollow (1500 km long from north to south and 1000 km from west to east) and relatively flat areas. In the equatorial region of the planet there are more than 10 ring structures, similar to the craters of Mercury, with a diameter of 35 to 150 km, but strongly smoothed and flat. In addition, there is a fault in the planet's crust 1500 km long, 150 km wide and about 2 km deep.

In 1981, the Venera-13 and Venera-14 stations examined soil samples from the planet and transmitted the first color photographs of Venus to earth. Because of this, we know that the surface rocks of the planet are close in composition to terrestrial sedimentary rocks, and the sky above the horizon of Venus is orange-yellow-green.

At present, human flights to Venus are unlikely, but at an altitude of 50 km from the planet, the temperature and pressure are close to conditions on Earth, so it is possible to create interplanetary stations here to study Venus and to recharge spacecraft.

1. Venus is the second planet from the Sun closest to the earth. The minimum distance from the Earth is 42 million km.
2. The equatorial diameter of Venus is 12100 km (95% of the Earth's)
3. Weight 4.87∙10 24 kg (0.82 Earth), density 5250 kg/m3
4. The rotation of Venus around its axis is the reverse, this means that the sunrise on the planet occurs in the west, the sunset in the east. Venus rotates very slowly around its axis, one rotation is 243.02 Earth days.
5. The period of revolution around the Sun is 224.7 Earth days; the average orbital speed is 35 km/s.
6. Venus is one of the most beautiful stars in the sky. Within 585 days, periods of its evening and morning visibility alternate. When viewed from Earth, Venus changes shape and size. The largest Venus looks in the crescent phase.
7. Venus is a hot, waterless planet with a colossal atmospheric pressure of 9.2 MPa.
8. The planet's atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide, which traps the planet's heat. Over millions of years of the greenhouse effect, temperatures have reached 480°C, and would be even higher if the clouds did not reflect 80% of the sun's heat. The atmosphere of Venus extends up to an altitude of 250 km. The clouds of Venus are formed by droplets of sulfuric acid, and sulfur has entered the atmosphere of Venus as a result of fashionable and prolonged volcanic activity.
9. Science still doesn't know why Venus's atmosphere is involved in one giant hurricane. At the surface of Venus, the wind is weak, no more than 1 m/s, in the equatorial region at an altitude of over 50 km it increases to 150-300 m/s. The nature of the electrical activity of the atmosphere of Venus is also not clear, where lightning sparkles twice as often as on Earth.
10. A complete cartography of Venus was made by the Magellan spacecraft in 1990-1992. using radar methods.

Venus- the second planet of the solar system: mass, size, distance from the Sun and planets, orbit, composition, temperature, interesting facts, history of research.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the hottest planet in the solar system. For ancient people, Venus was a constant companion. It is an evening star and the brightest neighbor, which has been observed for thousands of years after the recognition of planetary nature. That is why it appears in mythology and was noted in many cultures and peoples. With each century, interest has grown, and these observations have helped to understand the structure of our system. Before proceeding with the description and characterization, find out interesting facts about Venus.

Interesting facts about the planet Venus

A day lasts longer than a year

• The rotation axis (sidereal day) takes 243 days, and the orbital path covers 225 days. A sunny day lasts 117 days.

Rotates in the opposite direction

• Venus is retrograde, which means it rotates in the opposite direction. Perhaps in the past there was a collision with a large asteroid. It also lacks satellites.

Second brightest in the sky

• For an earthly observer, only the Moon is brighter than Venus. With a magnitude of -3.8 to -4.6, the planet is so bright that it occasionally shows up in the middle of the day.

Atmospheric pressure is 92 times that of the earth

• Although they are similar in size, the surface of Venus is not as cratered as the thick atmosphere obliterates incoming asteroids. The pressure on its surface is comparable to what is felt at great depths.

Venus is an earthly sister

• The difference in their diameters is 638 km, and the mass of Venus reaches 81.5% of the Earth's. Also converge in structure.

Called the Morning and Evening Star

• Ancient people believed that they had two different objects in front of them: Lucifer and Vesper (among the Romans). The fact is that its orbit overtakes the earth's and the planet appears at night or during the day. It was described in detail by the Maya in 650 BC.

hottest planet

• The temperature indicator of the planet rises to 462 ° C. Venus is not endowed with a remarkable axial tilt, therefore it is devoid of seasonality. The dense atmospheric layer is represented by carbon dioxide (96.5%) and retains heat, creating a greenhouse effect.

The study ended in 2015

• In 2006, the Venus Express apparatus was sent to the planet, which entered its orbit. Initially, the mission covered 500 days, but then it was extended until 2015. He managed to find more than a thousand volcanoes and volcanic centers with a length of 20 km.

The first mission belonged to the USSR

• In 1961, the Soviet probe Venera-1 set off for Venus, but contact was quickly cut off. The same thing happened to the American Mariner 1. In 1966, the USSR managed to lower the first apparatus (Venus-3). This helped to see the surface hidden behind a dense acid haze. It was possible to advance in research with the advent of radiographic mapping in the 1960s. It is believed that in the past the planet had oceans that evaporated due to rising temperatures.

Size, mass and orbit of the planet Venus

There are many similarities between Venus and the Earth, so the neighbor is often called the sister of the Earth. By mass - 4.8866 x 10 24 kg (81.5% of the earth), surface area - 4.60 x 10 8 km 2 (90%), and volume - 9.28 x 10 11 km 3 (86.6%).

The distance from the Sun to Venus reaches 0.72 AU. e. (108,000,000 km), and the world is practically devoid of eccentricity. Its aphelion reaches 108,939,000 km, and its perihelion reaches 107,477,000 km. So we can assume that this is the most circular orbital path among all the planets. The bottom photo successfully demonstrated a comparison of the sizes of Venus and the Earth.

When Venus is located between us and the Sun, it comes closest to the Earth of all planets - 41 million km. This happens once every 584 days. It spends 224.65 days on the orbital path (61.5% of the Earth).

Venus is not quite a standard planet and stands out to many. If almost all the planets in order in the solar system rotate counterclockwise, then Venus does it clockwise. In addition, the process is slow and one of its days covers 243 earth. It turns out that the sidereal day is longer than the planetary year.

The composition and surface of the planet Venus

It is believed that the internal structure resembles that of the earth with a core, mantle and crust. The core must be at least partially in a liquid state, because both planets cooled almost simultaneously.

But plate tectonics speaks volumes. The crust of Venus is too strong, which led to a decrease in heat loss. Perhaps this was the reason for the absence of an internal magnetic field. Study the structure of Venus in the figure.

The creation of the surface was influenced by volcanic activity. There are approximately 167 large volcanoes on the planet (more than on Earth), whose height exceeds 100 km. Their presence is based on the absence of tectonic movement, which is why we are looking at the ancient crust. Its age is estimated at 300-600 million years.

It is believed that volcanoes can still spew lava. Soviet missions, as well as ESA observations, confirmed the presence of lightning storms in the atmospheric layer. There is no usual precipitation on Venus, so lightning can be created by a volcano.

Also, a periodic increase / decrease in the amount of sulfur dioxide was noted, which speaks in favor of eruptions. The IR view captures the appearance of hot spots hinting at lava. It can be seen that the surface ideally preserves craters, of which there are approximately 1000. They can reach 3-280 km in diameter.

You will not find smaller craters, because small asteroids simply burn up in a dense atmosphere. To reach the surface, it is necessary to exceed 50 meters in diameter.

Atmosphere and temperature of the planet Venus

Viewing the surface of Venus was previously extremely difficult, because the view was blocked by an incredibly dense atmospheric haze, represented by carbon dioxide with small impurities of nitrogen. The pressure is 92 bar, and the atmospheric mass exceeds the earth's by 93 times.

Let's not forget that Venus is the hottest among the solar planets. The average is 462°C, which is consistently held night and day. It's all about the presence of a huge amount of CO 2 , which forms a powerful greenhouse effect with clouds of sulfur dioxide.

The surface is isothermal (does not affect the distribution or changes in temperature at all). The minimum axis tilt is 3°, which also prevents the appearance of seasons. Changes in temperature are observed only with height.

It is worth noting that the temperature at the highest point of Mount Maxwell reaches 380 ° C, and atmospheric pressure - 45 bar.

If you find yourself on the planet, you will immediately encounter powerful wind currents, whose acceleration reaches 85 km / s. They go around the entire planet in 4-5 days. In addition, dense clouds can form lightning.

Atmosphere of Venus

Astronomer Dmitry Titov about the temperature regime on the planet, clouds of sulfuric acid and the greenhouse effect:

History of the study of the planet Venus

People in ancient times knew about its existence, but mistakenly believed that there were two different objects in front of them: morning and evening stars. It is worth noting that they officially began to perceive Venus as a single object in the 6th century BC. e., but as early as 1581 BC. e. there was a Babylonian tablet, which clearly explained the true nature of the planet.

For many, Venus has become the personification of the goddess of love. The Greeks named after Aphrodite, and for the Romans, the morning appearance became Lucifer.

In 1032, Avicenna first observed the passage of Venus in front of the Sun and realized that the planet is located closer to the Earth than the Sun. In the 12th century, Ibn Bajai found two black spots, which were later explained by the transits of Venus and Mercury.

In 1639 Jeremiah Horrocks oversaw the transit. Galileo Galilei at the beginning of the 17th century used his instrument and noted the phases of the planet. This was an extremely important observation, which indicated that Venus went around the Sun, which means that Copernicus was right.

In 1761, Mikhail Lomonosov discovered the atmosphere on the planet, and in 1790 it was noted by Johann Schroeter.

The first serious observation was made by Chester Lyman in 1866. Around the dark side of the planet, a full ring of light was noted, which once again hinted at the presence of an atmosphere. The first UV survey was carried out in the 1920s.

Spectroscopic observations told about the features of rotation. Vesto Slifer tried to determine the Doppler shift. But when he failed, he began to suspect that the planet was rotating too slowly. Moreover, in the 1950s realized that we are dealing with retrograde rotation.

Radar was used in the 1960s. and received rotations close to modern indicators. Details like Mount Maxwell could be talked about thanks to the Arecibo Observatory.

Exploration of the planet Venus

For the study of Venus, scientists of the USSR actively began, who in the 1960s. sent several spaceships. The first mission ended unsuccessfully, as it did not even reach the planet.

The same thing happened with the American first attempt. But Mariner 2, sent in 1962, managed to pass at a distance of 34,833 km from the planetary surface. Observations confirmed the presence of high heat, which immediately ended all hopes for the existence of life.

The first apparatus on the surface was the Soviet Venera-3, which landed in 1966. But the information was never obtained, because the connection was immediately interrupted. In 1967, Venera-4 rushed. As it descended, the mechanism determined the temperature and pressure. But the batteries quickly ran out and communication was lost while he was still in the process of descending.

Mariner 10 flew at an altitude of 4000 km in 1967. He received information about the pressure, atmospheric density and composition of the planet.

In 1969, Venera 5 and 6 also arrived, which managed to transmit data in 50 minutes of descent. But Soviet scientists did not give up. Venera-7 crashed on the surface, but managed to transmit information for 23 minutes.

From 1972-1975 The USSR launched three more probes, which managed to get the first pictures of the surface.

Mariner 10 took more than 4,000 images on its way to Mercury. At the end of the 70s. NASA prepared two probes (Pioneers), one of which was to study the atmosphere and create a surface map, and the second to enter the atmosphere.

In 1985, the Vega program was launched, where the devices were supposed to explore Halley's comet and go to Venus. They dropped the probes, but the atmosphere turned out to be more turbulent and the mechanisms were blown away by powerful winds.

In 1989, Magellan went to Venus with his radar. He spent 4.5 years in orbit and displayed 98% of the surface and 95% of the gravitational field. In the end, he was sent to his death in the atmosphere to get density data.

Galileo and Cassini watched Venus fleetingly. And in 2007 they sent MESSENGER, which was able to make some measurements on the way to Mercury. The atmosphere and clouds were also monitored by the Venus Express probe in 2006. The mission ended in 2014.

The Japanese agency JAXA sent the Akatsuki probe in 2010, but it failed to reach orbit.

In 2013, NASA sent an experimental suborbital space telescope that studied UV light from the planet's atmosphere to accurately investigate Venus' watery history.

Also in 2018, ESA may launch the BepiColombo project. There are also rumors about the Venus In-Situ Explorer project, which could start in 2022. Its purpose is to study the characteristics of regolith. Russia can also send the Venera-D spacecraft in 2024, which they plan to lower to the surface.

Due to the proximity to us, as well as the similarity in certain parameters, there were those who expected to discover life on Venus. Now we know about her hellish hospitality. But there is an opinion that once it had water and a favorable atmosphere. Moreover, the planet is inside the habitable zone and has an ozone layer. Of course, the greenhouse effect led to the disappearance of water billions of years ago.

However, this does not mean that we cannot count on human colonies. The most suitable conditions are located at an altitude of 50 km. These will be air cities based on durable airships. Of course, all this is difficult to do, but these projects prove that we are still interested in this neighbor. In the meantime, we are forced to observe it at a distance and dream about future settlements. Now you know which planet Venus is. Be sure to follow the links to find out more interesting facts, and consider a map of the surface of Venus.

At the North Pole

Venus- the second inner planet of the solar system with a period of revolution of 224.7 Earth days. The planet got its name from Venus, the goddess of love from the Roman pantheon. Her astronomical symbol is a stylized version of a lady's mirror, an attribute of the goddess of love and beauty. Venus is the third brightest object in the Earth's sky after the Sun and Moon and reaches an apparent magnitude of −4.6. Since Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, it never seems to be too far from the Sun: the maximum angular distance between it and the Sun is 47.8°. Venus reaches its maximum brightness shortly before sunrise or some time after sunset, which gave reason to call it also Evening Star or morning Star.

Venus is classified as an Earth-like planet and is sometimes referred to as "Earth's sister" because the two planets are similar in size, gravity, and composition. However, the conditions on the two planets are very different. The surface of Venus is hidden by extremely dense clouds of sulfuric acid clouds with high reflective characteristics, which makes it impossible to see the surface in visible light (but its atmosphere is transparent to radio waves, with the help of which the planet's relief was subsequently studied). Disputes about what is under the thick clouds of Venus continued until the twentieth century, when many of the secrets of Venus were not revealed by planetary science. Venus has the densest atmosphere of any Earth-like planet, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. This is explained by the fact that on Venus there is no cycle of carbon and organic life that could process it into biomass.

In ancient times, Venus is believed to have warmed up so much that the Earth-like oceans that it is believed to have had completely evaporated, leaving behind a desert landscape with many plate-like rocks. One hypothesis suggests that due to the weakness of the magnetic field, water vapor rose so high above the surface that it was carried away by the solar wind into interplanetary space.

Basic information

The average distance of Venus from the Sun is 108 million km (0.723 AU). Its orbit is very close to circular - the eccentricity is only 0.0068. The period of revolution around the Sun is 224.7 days; average orbital speed - 35 km / s. The inclination of the orbit to the plane of the ecliptic is 3.4°.

Comparative sizes of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars

Venus rotates around its axis, deviated by 2 ° from the perpendicular to the plane of the orbit, from east to west, that is, in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of most planets. One revolution around the axis takes 243.02 days. The combination of these movements gives the value of the solar day on the planet 116.8 Earth days. Interestingly, Venus makes one revolution around its axis with respect to the Earth in 146 days, and the synodic period is 584 days, that is, exactly four times longer. As a result, at each inferior conjunction, Venus faces the Earth with the same side. It is not yet known whether this is a coincidence, or whether the gravitational attraction of the Earth and Venus is acting here.

Venus is quite close to Earth in size. The radius of the planet is 6051.8 km (95% of the earth), the mass is 4.87 × 10 24 kg (81.5% of the earth), the average density is 5.24 g / cm³. The free fall acceleration is 8.87 m / s², the second space velocity is 10.46 km / s.

Atmosphere

The wind, which is very weak near the surface of the planet (no more than 1 m/s), increases to 150-300 m/s near the equator at an altitude of over 50 km. Observations from automatic space stations were found in the atmosphere of a thunderstorm.

Surface and internal structure

The internal structure of Venus

Exploration of the surface of Venus became possible with the development of radar techniques. The most detailed map was made by the American Magellan apparatus, which photographed 98% of the planet's surface. Mapping has revealed vast uplands on Venus. The largest of them are the Land of Ishtar and the Land of Aphrodite, comparable in size to the earth's continents. Numerous craters have also been identified on the surface of the planet. They probably formed when Venus's atmosphere was less dense. A significant part of the planet's surface is geologically young (about 500 million years). 90% of the planet's surface is covered with solidified basaltic lava.

Several models of the internal structure of Venus have been proposed. According to the most realistic of them, there are three shells on Venus. The first - the crust - is about 16 km thick. Next - the mantle, a silicate shell, extending to a depth of about 3300 km to the border with the iron core, the mass of which is about a quarter of the entire mass of the planet. Since there is no own magnetic field of the planet, it should be assumed that there is no movement of charged particles in the iron core - an electric current that causes a magnetic field, therefore, there is no movement of matter in the core, that is, it is in a solid state. The density in the center of the planet reaches 14 g/cm³.

Interestingly, all the details of the relief of Venus bear female names, with the exception of the highest mountain range of the planet, located on Ishtar Earth near the Lakshmi plateau and named after James Maxwell.

Relief

Craters on the surface of Venus

An image of the surface of Venus based on radar data.

Impact craters are a rare feature of the Venusian landscape. There are only about 1,000 craters on the entire planet. The picture shows two craters with diameters of about 40 - 50 km. The inner area is filled with lava. The "petals" around the craters are patches covered with crushed rock thrown out during the explosion during the formation of the crater.

Observation of Venus

View from Earth

Venus is easily recognizable, as it far exceeds the brilliance of the brightest of the stars in brilliance. A distinctive feature of the planet is its even white color. Venus, like Mercury, does not recede in the sky at a great distance from the Sun. At times of elongation, Venus can move away from our star by a maximum of 48 °. Like Mercury, Venus has periods of morning and evening visibility: in ancient times it was believed that morning and evening Venus were different stars. Venus is the third brightest object in our sky. During periods of visibility, its brightness is at its maximum at about m = −4.4.

With a telescope, even a small one, one can easily see and observe the change in the apparent phase of the planet's disk. It was first observed in 1610 by Galileo.

Venus next to the Sun, covered by the Moon. Frame of the apparatus Clementine

Passage on the disk of the Sun

Venus on the disk of the Sun

Venus in front of the Sun. Video

Since Venus is the inner planet of the solar system in relation to the Earth, its inhabitant can observe the passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun, when from the Earth through a telescope this planet appears as a small black disk against the background of a huge luminary. However, this astronomical phenomenon is one of the rarest that can be observed from the Earth's surface. Over the course of about two and a half centuries, there are four passages - two in December and two in June. The next one will take place on June 6, 2012.

For the first time observed the passage of Venus across the disk of the Sun on December 4, 1639, the English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks (-) He also predicted this phenomenon.

Of particular interest to science were the observations of the “phenomenon of Venus on the Sun”, which were made by M. V. Lomonosov on June 6, 1761. This cosmic phenomenon was also pre-calculated and eagerly anticipated by astronomers around the world. Its study was required to determine the parallax, which made it possible to clarify the distance from the Earth to the Sun (according to the method developed by the English astronomer E. Halley), which required the organization of observations from different geographical points on the surface of the globe - the joint efforts of scientists from many countries.

Similar visual studies were carried out at 40 points with the participation of 112 people. On the territory of Russia, they were organized by M.V. Lomonosov, who on March 27 addressed the Senate with a report substantiating the need for equipment for astronomical expeditions to Siberia for this purpose, petitioned for the allocation of funds for this expensive event, he compiled guides for observers, etc. The result of his efforts was the direction of the expedition of N. I. Popov to Irkutsk and S. Ya Rumovsky to Selenginsk. It also cost him considerable efforts to organize observations in St. Petersburg, at the Academic Observatory, with the participation of AD Krasilnikov and NG Kurganov. Their task was to observe the contacts of Venus and the Sun - visual contact of the edges of their disks. M. V. Lomonosov, who was most interested in the physical side of the phenomenon, conducting independent observations at his home observatory, discovered a light rim around Venus.

This passage was observed all over the world, but only M.V. Lomonosov drew attention to the fact that when Venus came into contact with the disk of the Sun, a “shine as thin as hair” arose around the planet. The same bright halo was observed during the descent of Venus from the solar disk.

MV Lomonosov gave a correct scientific explanation for this phenomenon, considering it to be the result of the refraction of solar rays in the atmosphere of Venus. “The planet Venus,” he wrote, “is surrounded by a noble airy atmosphere, such (if only not more) than is poured around our globe.” So for the first time in the history of astronomy, a hundred years before the discovery of spectral analysis, the physical study of the planets began. At that time, almost nothing was known about the planets of the solar system. Therefore, the presence of an atmosphere on Venus was considered by M. V. Lomonosov as indisputable evidence of the similarity of the planets and, in particular, the similarity between Venus and the Earth. The effect was seen by many observers: Chappe D'Oteroche, S. Ya. Rumovsky, L. V. Vargentin, T. O. Bergman, but only M. V. Lomonosov interpreted it correctly. In astronomy, this phenomenon of light scattering, the reflection of light rays during grazing incidence (for M. V. Lomonosov - “pimple”), received his name - “ The phenomenon of Lomonosov»

Of interest is the second effect observed by astronomers as the disk of Venus approaches or moves away from the outer edge of the solar disk. This phenomenon, also discovered by M.V. Lomonosov, was not satisfactorily interpreted, and, apparently, it should be regarded as a mirror image of the Sun by the planet’s atmosphere - it is especially large at small glancing angles, when Venus is near the Sun. The scientist describes it as follows:

Planetary exploration using spacecraft

Venus has been studied quite intensively with the help of spacecraft. The first spacecraft designed to study Venus was the Soviet Venera-1. After an attempt to reach Venus by this apparatus, launched on February 12, Soviet apparatuses of the Venera, Vega series, American Mariner, Pioneer-Venera-1, Pioneer-Venera-2, Magellan were sent to the planet. The spacecraft "Venera-9" and "Venera-10" transmitted to Earth the first photographs of the surface of Venus; in Venera-13 and Venera-14, color images were transmitted from the surface of Venus. However, the conditions on the surface of Venus are such that none of the spacecraft has worked on the planet for more than two hours. In 2016, Roscosmos plans to launch a more durable probe that will work on the surface of the planet for at least a day.

additional information

Satellite of Venus

Venus (like Mars and the Earth) has a quasi-satellite, asteroid 2002 VE68, orbiting the Sun in such a way that there is an orbital resonance between it and Venus, as a result of which it remains near the planet for many periods of revolution.

Terraforming Venus

Venus in various cultures

Venus in literature

• In Alexander Belyaev's novel Leap into Nothing, the heroes, a handful of capitalists, flee from the world proletarian revolution into space, land on Venus and settle there. The planet is presented in the novel roughly as the Earth in the Mesozoic era.
• In Boris Lyapunov's sci-fi essay "Nearest to the Sun", earthlings set foot on Venus and Mercury for the first time and study them.
• In Vladimir Vladko's novel The Argonauts of the Universe, a Soviet exploration expedition is sent to Venus.
• In Georgy Martynov's novel-trilogy "Stargazers", the second book - "Sister of the Earth" - is dedicated to the adventures of Soviet cosmonauts on Venus and acquaintance with its intelligent inhabitants.
• In the cycle of stories by Viktor Saparin: "Heavenly Kulu", "Return of the Roundheads" and "Disappearance of Loo", the astronauts who landed on the planet establish contact with the inhabitants of Venus.
• In Alexander Kazantsev's story "The Planet of Storms" (the novel "Grandchildren of Mars"), astronauts-researchers encounter the animal world and traces of intelligent life on Venus. Filmed by Pavel Klushantsev as "Planet of Storms".
• In the Strugatsky Brothers' novel The Country of Crimson Clouds, Venus was the second planet after Mars, which they are trying to colonize, and they send the Khius planetary ship with a crew of scouts to the area of ​​​​deposits of radioactive substances called "Uranium Golconda".
• In Sever Gansovsky's story "Saving December", the last two observers of earthlings meet December, the animal on which the natural balance on Venus depended. The Decembers were considered completely exterminated and people are ready to die, but leave the December alive.
• The novel by Yevgeny Voiskunsky and Isai Lukodyanov "Splash of the Starry Seas" tells about reconnaissance cosmonauts, scientists, engineers who, in difficult conditions of space and human society, are colonizing Venus.
• In Alexander Shalimov's story Planet of the Mists, the expedition members sent on a laboratory ship to Venus are trying to solve the riddles of this planet.
• In the stories of Ray Bradbury, the climate of the planet is presented as extremely rainy (either it always rains, or it stops once every ten years)
• In Robert Heinlein's novels Between the Planets, The Martian Podkane, The Space Cadet, and The Logic of Empire, Venus is depicted as a gloomy swampy world, reminiscent of the Amazon valley during the rainy season. Venus is inhabited by intelligent inhabitants resembling seals or dragons.
• In Stanislav Lem's novel The Astronauts, earthlings find on Venus the remains of a dead civilization that was about to destroy life on Earth. Screened as "Silent Star".
• Francis Karsak's "Escape of the Earth", along with the main plot, describes the colonized Venus, the atmosphere of which has undergone physical and chemical processing, as a result of which the planet has become habitable for people.
• The science fiction novel Fury by Henry Kuttner tells of the terraforming of Venus by colonists from a dead Earth.

Literature

• Koronovsky N. N. Morphology of the surface of Venus // Soros Educational Journal.
• Burba G. A. Venus: Russian transcription of names // GEOKHI Laboratory for Comparative Planetology, May 2005.

see also

Links

• Pictures taken by Soviet spacecraft

Notes

1. Williams, David R. Venus Fact Sheet. NASA (April 15, 2005). Retrieved October 12, 2007.
2. Venus: Facts & Figures. NASA. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
3. Space Topics: Compare the Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, The Moon, and Mars. planetary society. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
4. Caught in the wind from the Sun. ESA (Venus Express) (2007-11-28). Retrieved July 12, 2008.
5. college.ru
6. RIA agency
7. Venus had oceans and volcanoes in the past - scientists RIA News (2009-07-14).
8. M. V. Lomonosov writes: “... Mr. Kurganov, by his calculation, found out that this memorable passage of Venus across the Sun, packs in May 1769, 23 days old calm, will happen, which, although it is doubtful to see in St. Petersburg, only many places near the local parallel, and especially lying further to the north, may be witnesses. For the beginning of the introduction will follow here at 10 o'clock in the afternoon, and the beginning at 3 o'clock in the afternoon; is likely to pass through the upper half of the Sun at a distance from its center close to 2/3 of the solar half-diameter. And since 1769, after a hundred and five years, this phenomenon apparently has again. the same October 29, 1769, the same passage of the planet Mercury across the Sun will be visible only in South America ”- M. V. Lomonosov“ The phenomenon of Venus on the Sun ... ”
9. Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov. Selected works in 2 volumes. M.: Science. 1986