Venus - Physical Characteristics
Basic Data:
-
Radius: 6050 km (0.95 REarth)
-
Mass: 4.9x1024 kg (0.83
MEarth)
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Distance from Sun: 0.72 AU
-
"Earth's Twin" (?)
At greatest elongation, Venus is 47
degrees away from Sun: much easier to see
than Mercury. It's closer to Earth, and
reflects more of the Sun's light --> very
bright. Often referred to as the morning
star or evening
star. (Look now low on the western sky
right after sunset).
Why does it reflect so much light? covered
in clouds
Orbital Period: 224.7 days
Rotation Period: hard to determine until radar reflection
techniques were developed (why?). Now
determined to be 243 days. And it rotates in retrograde
fashion!
Interior Clues:
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Mean density similar to that of the Earth
-
No magnetic field
-
Volcanic surface features exist
Lots of theories and ideas, but more data is needed to construct
a complete picture of Venus' interior...