The Planet Venus

Shrouded by the thick clouds of hot, dense atmosphere, the planet Venus - Earth's closest neighbour in space - remained mysterious until recent decades. Today, with data from contemporary observations and from Russian and American spacecraft, Venus has moved into sharper focus. This comprehensive book provides an up-to-date and detailed analysis of the nature of Venus. The authors, experts in planetary science from Russia and the United States, examine all the principal aspects of Venus, with particular attention paid to the planet's formation, the development of a runaway greenhouse effect, and Venus' evolution into a planet completely different from others in our solar system. Integrating data from Galileo, Magellan, Pioneer-Venus, Venera sand other space missions, this book summarizes the history of Venus, covers the atmosphere, geomorphology and tectonic history of the planet, and considers its geology.

Unlike most other planets, Venus can be seen from Earth's surface with the naked eye. Only the moon burns brighter in the night sky. Readers will learn why Venus's thick clouds help make the planet so hot and why its days last so long. They will also get an up-close look at Venus's remarkable land features and find out how scientists have studied the harsh surface of the planet.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 176. With the search for extra-solar planets in full gear, it has become essential to gain a more detailed understanding of the evolution of the other earth-like planets in our own solar system. Space missions to Venus, including the Soviet Veneras, Pioneer Venus, and Magellan, provided a wealth of information about this planet' enigmatic surface and atmosphere, but left many fundamental questions about its origin and evolution unanswered. This book discusses how the study of Venus will aid our understanding of terrestrial and extra-solar planet evolution, with particular reference to surface and interior processes, atmospheric circulation, chemistry, and aeronomy. Incorporating results from the recent European Venus Express mission, Exploring Venus as a Terrestrial Planet examines the open questions and relates them to Earth and other terrestrial planets. The goal is to stimulate thinking about those broader issues as the new Venus data arrive.

This book explains how it came to be that Venus and Earth, while very similar in chemical composition, zonation, size and heliocentric distance from the Sun, are very different in surface environmental conditions. It is argued here that these differences can be accounted for by planetoid capture processes and the subsequent evolution of the planet-satellite system. Venus captured a one-half moon-mass planetoid early in its history in the retrograde direction and underwent its “fatal attraction scenario” with its satellite (Adonis). Earth, on the other hand, captured a moon-mass planetoid (Luna) early in its history in prograde orbit and underwent a benign estrangement scenario with its captured satellite.

Up-to-date scientific information will engage readers as they learn about Venus. With a focus on STEM and new discoveries, this informative text examines the planet Venus and discusses what scientists hope to learn about it.

ESA’s Venus Express Mission has monitored Venus since April 2006, and scientists worldwide have used mathematical models to investigate its atmosphere and model its circulation. This book summarizes recent work to explore and understand the climate of the planet through a research program under the auspices of the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, Switzerland. Some of the unique elements that are discussed are the anomalies with Venus’ surface temperature (the huge greenhouse effect causes the surface to rise to 460°C, without which would plummet as low as -40°C), its unusual lack of solar radiation (despite being closer to the Sun, Venus receives less solar radiation than Earth due to its dense cloud cover reflecting 76% back) and the juxtaposition of its atmosphere and planetary rotation (wind speeds can climb up to 200 m/s, much faster than Venus’ sidereal day of 243 Earth-days).

Venus, closest planet to the Earth, is a torrid world of extremes shrouded from direct view by dense clouds. This Atlas of Venus shows all the fascinating detail discovered on the recent Magellan mission to map the planet surface. Giving the historical background to our perception of the planet, this book clearly explains why Venus has been the goal of so many missions by both Russian and American space programmes. With the latest images from the Magellan mission, this colourful Atlas shows the beautiful landscape of Venus and its dynamic volcanism. Over 100 maps and illustrations show the dramatic beauty of this photogenic planet. Complete with detailed maps of the planet and a gazetteer of all landmarks, this is the essential reference source for all professional and amateur astronomers, and planetary scientists interested in our closest neighbour.