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Venus


Second out from the Sun is Venus, a hell-hole. The runaway greenhouse effect from the carbon-dioxide atmosphere pressure cooks the surface to +480 degrees C and 90 atmospheres of pressure. The planet is swathed in clouds of sulfuric acid, though this acid rain never reaches the surface (the heat vaporizes it at a height of 31 km). Venus probably had large amounts of water like the Earth, but it all boiled away. Winds at the cloud tops reach speeds of upto 350 kph, but on the surface are no more than a few kph.

Most of the surface consists of gently rolling plains. There are several broad depressions (including Atlanta Planitia, Guinevere Planitia, and Lavinia Planitia) and 2 large highland areas (Ishtar Terra in the northern hemisphere - about the size of Australia, and Aphrodite Terra along the equator - about the size of South America). The interior of Ishtar consists mainly of high plateau, Lakshmi Planum, which is surrounded by the highest mountains on Venus (including the enormous Maxwell Montes).

Venus has extensive volcanic activity, but no plate tectonics. There is also no magnetic field.


Orbital Distance:   0.718 AU - 0.728 AU (average 0.723 AU)
Eccentricity:       0.007
Local Year:         224.701 days
Orbital Velocity:   35.02 km/s (average)
Inclination:        3.394°
Local Day:          243.16 days retrograde
Axial Tilt:         178°

Diameter:           12,104 km
Composition:        Nickel-iron, silicates
Density:            5.25 g/cm3
Mass:               4.87 x 1018 tonnes (0.815 earths)
Gravity:            0.903 G
Escape Velocity:    10.36 km/s
Area:               460.265 million km2
Surface Material:   Basaltic and granitic rock
Atmosphere:         Thick CO2 and H2SO4 clouds
Pressure:           90 atm
Albedo:             0.76
Temperature:        +480°C

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