9/17/2023 0 Comments Venus unveiledWe need to know more about Venus in order to know more about Earth. If we can find out how Venus became the scorching-hot world that it is now, we should be able to understand how special Earth’s environment really is. ![]() But if Earth were to move closer to the Sun, like Venus, it is possible that its temperature would rise with the heat of the Sun, all the water would evaporate, the carbon dioxide in the ground would be released, and it would become like Venus – a planet covered in a thick layer of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide that is dissolved in water combines with minerals such as calcium to form carbonate minerals, which are hidden at the bottom of the oceans. The difference is that on Earth it’s hidden underground, and absorbed into oceans and rivers. Its atmosphere is made up mainly of carbon dioxide, but Earth also has a lot of carbon dioxide. But some scientists think there may have once been oceans on Venus. The surface temperature on Venus today is very high, and there are no oceans. The current environments on Venus and Earth are totally different, but when the planets were formed they were similar. Where does this wind come from? How are the sulfuric acid clouds formed? AKATSUKI will attempt to answer these questions. Venus rotates slowly, with one rotation taking 243 Earth days, but in the skies above it there is a ferocious wind. Venus’s atmosphere is in a state of super-rotation – it circles the planet at speeds of up to 400 km/h, at an altitude of 60 km – a kind of ultra-high-speed wind. For example, we’re going to do a thorough study of the climate. As a result, many puzzles remain, which AKATSUKI is going to try to solve. Also, because the surface temperature is more than 400℃ and the atmospheric pressure is over 90 Earth atmospheres, the probes were not able to move around freely and study the planet. Until fairly recently, only American and Soviet probes had studied Venus, but because of these clouds, they had trouble seeing the planet underneath. But Venus is a very difficult planet to explore. Venus looks bright from Earth because these sulfuric acid clouds reflect the light of the Sun – this is why it’s always captured people’s interest. Earth’s atmosphere is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, whereas Venus’s is almost completely carbon dioxide, and its skies are covered with thick sulfuric acid clouds. But Venus’s current environment is completely different. Therefore, we think that the composition of its atmosphere at birth may have closely resembled that of Earth. The most appealing thing about Venus is the question, “Why is Venus so different from Earth?” Venus is the same kind of solid-rock planet as Earth, and does not differ much from it in size or mass. Venus covered with acid clouds (courtesy of ESA/MPS/DLR/IDA) ![]() Focus on the climate - First of all, tell us what is interesting about Venus. We asked AKATSUKI Project Scientist Takeshi Imamura what kind of results we can expect. Now, tests of observation equipment have been completed, and full-scale observation is due to begin around April. ![]() A previous attempt, five years ago, failed due to a damaged engine, and since then the probe has been orbiting the Sun, waiting for the next opportunity to approach Venus. AKATSUKI was successfully inserted into orbit around Venus in December 2015.
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