Cloud structure in Venus's atmosphere revealed by ultraviolet observations
General information[1]
Height
250 km (160 mi)
Average surface pressure
93 bar (1,350 psi)
Mass
4.8 × 1020 kg
Chemical species
Molar fraction
Composition[1][2]
Carbon dioxide
96.5 %
Nitrogen
3.5 %
Sulfur dioxide
150 ppm
Argon
70 ppm
Water vapor
20 ppm
Carbon monoxide
17 ppm
Helium
12 ppm
Neon
7 ppm
Hydrogen chloride
0.1–0.6 ppm
Hydrogen fluoride
0.001–0.005 ppm
The atmosphere of Venus is the very dense layer of gasses surrounding the planet Venus. Venus's atmosphere is composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide and 3.5% nitrogen, with other chemical compounds present only in trace amounts.[1] It is much denser and hotter than that of Earth; the temperature at the surface is 740 K (467 °C, 872 °F), and the pressure is 93 bar (1,350 psi), roughly the pressure found 900 m (3,000 ft) under water on Earth. The atmosphere of Venus supports decks of opaque clouds of sulfuric acid that cover the entire planet, making optical Earth-based and orbital observation of the surface impossible. Information about surface topography has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging.
Aside from the very surface layers, the atmosphere is in a state of vigorous circulation.[3] The upper layer of troposphere exhibits a phenomenon of super-rotation, in which the atmosphere circles the planet in just four Earth days, much faster than the planet's sidereal day of 243 days. The winds supporting super-rotation blow at a speed of 100 m/s (≈360 km/h or 220 mph)[3] or more. Winds move at up to 60 times the speed of the planet's rotation, while Earth's fastest winds are only 10% to 20% rotation speed.[4] On the other hand, the wind speed becomes increasingly slower as the elevation from the surface decreases, with the breeze barely reaching the speed of 2.8 m/s (≈10 km/h or 6.2 mph) on the surface.[5] Near the poles are anticyclonic structures called polar vortices. Each vortex is double-eyed and shows a characteristic S-shaped pattern of clouds.[6] Above there is an intermediate layer of mesosphere which separates the troposphere from the thermosphere.[3][2] The thermosphere is also characterized by strong circulation, but very different in its nature—the gases heated and partially ionized by sunlight in the sunlit hemisphere migrate to the dark hemisphere where they recombine and downwell.[2]
Unlike Earth, Venus lacks a magnetic field. Its ionosphere separates the atmosphere from outer space and the solar wind. This ionized layer excludes the solar magnetic field, giving Venus a distinct magnetic environment. This is considered Venus's induced magnetosphere. Lighter gases, including water vapour, are continuously blown away by the solar wind through the induced magnetotail.[3] It is speculated that the atmosphere of Venus up to around 4 billion years ago was more like that of the Earth with liquid water on the surface. A runaway greenhouse effect may have been caused by the evaporation of the surface water and subsequent rise of the levels of other greenhouse gases.[7][8]
Despite the harsh conditions on the surface, the atmospheric pressure and temperature at about 50 km to 65 km above the surface of the planet are nearly the same as that of the Earth, making its upper atmosphere the most Earth-like area in the Solar System, even more so than the surface of Mars. Due to the similarity in pressure and temperature and the fact that breathable air (21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen) is a lifting gas on Venus in the same way that helium is a lifting gas on Earth, the upper atmosphere has been proposed as a location for both exploration and colonization.[9]
^ abcCite error: The named reference Basilevsky2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcCite error: The named reference Bertaux2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdCite error: The named reference Svedhem2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Normile, Dennis (2010). "Mission to probe Venus's curious winds and test solar sail for propulsion". Science. 328 (5979): 677. Bibcode:2010Sci...328..677N. doi:10.1126/science.328.5979.677-a. PMID 20448159.
^DK Space Encyclopedia: Atmosphere of Venus p 58.
^Cite error: The named reference Piccioni2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Kasting was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"How Hot is Venus?". May 2006.
^Landis, Geoffrey A. (2003). "Colonization of Venus". AIP Conf. Proc. 654 (1): 1193–1198. Bibcode:2003AIPC..654.1193L. doi:10.1063/1.1541418. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11.
and 27 Related for: Atmosphere of Venus information
The atmosphereofVenus is the very dense layer of gasses surrounding the planet Venus. Venus'satmosphere is composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide and 3.5%...
suggesting an early shutdown of major magmatism. Studies have suggested that billions of years ago, Venus'satmosphere could have been much more like...
environment ofVenus to support human life would require at least three major changes to the planet's atmosphere: Reducing Venus's surface temperature of 737 K...
The possibility of life on Venus is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to Venus' proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no definitive evidence...
various flybys, orbits, and landings on Venus, including balloon probes that floated in the atmosphereofVenus. Study of the planet is aided by its relatively...
A transit ofVenus takes place when Venus passes directly between the Sun and the Earth (or any other superior planet), becoming visible against (and...
airglow emission in the atmosphereofVenus made with the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on Venus Express. They attributed...
part of the overall Pioneer Venus project along with this entry probe mission. Whereas the probes entered the atmosphere in 1978, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter...
Moon and Mars instead, with proposals for Venus focused on habitats floating in the upper-middle atmosphere and on terraforming. Space colonization is...
gravity-assist flybys) space missions to the planet Venus. Missions to Venus constitute part of the exploration ofVenus. The Soviet Union followed by the United...
around Venus. Equipped with seven scientific instruments, the main objective of the mission was the long term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. The...
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission to study the surface and atmosphereofVenus. Funds were released in 2017 to complete preliminary studies, and...
2023). "Venus, Phosphine and the Possibility of Life". arXiv:2301.05160 [astro-ph.EP]. Sansom, Clare. "The hellish chemistry ofVenus' atmosphere". Chemistry...
Spectrographic study of the atmosphereofVenus. The results of analysis of the well-understood atmosphereofVenus will be compared with studies of exoplanets...
observations to characterize the atmosphere and surface ofVenus. It continued to transmit data until October 1992. The Pioneer Venus Multiprobe deployed four...
its high pressure, the CO2 in the atmosphereofVenus exhibits continuum absorption (absorption over a broad range of wavelengths) and is not limited to...
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter, also known as Pioneer Venus 1 or Pioneer 12, was a mission to Venus conducted by NASA as part of the Pioneer Venus project. Launched...
55 km (34 mi) altitude, the atmosphereofVenus is 27 °C (81 °F) and 0.5 bar (50 kPa) (the equivalent pressure at an elevation of about 5,500 m (18,000 ft)...
Venus Life Finder is a planned uncrewed spacecraft to Venus designed to detect signs of life in the Venusian atmosphere. The first private Venus mission...
contributor since comets are composed of more carbon monoxide than methane. AtmosphereofVenusAtmosphereof Earth Atmosphereof Mars Lindal, G. F.; Wood, G....
AtmosphereVenus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) is a planned mission for an orbiter and atmospheric probe to the planet Venus....
Space Agency's Venus Express probe detected a cold layer in the atmosphereofVenus where temperatures are close to the triple point of carbon dioxide...
Earth, many of the other astronomical objects in the Solar System have atmospheres. These include all the giant planets, as well as Mars, Venus and Titan...
composition (Venus is both the closest planet to Earth and the planet closest in size to Earth). The surface ofVenus is covered by a dense atmosphere and presents...
Among his discoveries were the atmosphereofVenus and the law of conservation of mass in chemical reactions. His spheres of science were natural science...
Global Information