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Atmosphere of Venus

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In 1761, Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov discovered that Venus has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is much denser and hotter than that of Earth. The temperature and pressure at the surface are 740 K (467°C, 872°F) and 93 bar, respectively. The Venusian atmosphere supports opaque clouds made of sulfuric acid, making optical observation of the surface impossible. Information about the topography of Venus has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging. The main atmospheric gases on Venus are carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Other chemical compounds are present only in trace amounts.

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In 1761, Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov discovered that Venus has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is much denser and hotter than that of Earth. The temperature and pressure at the surface are 740 K (467°C, 872°F) and 93 bar, respectively. The Venusian atmosphere supports opaque clouds made of sulfuric acid, making optical observation of the surface impossible. Information about the topography of Venus has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging. The main atmospheric gases on Venus are carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Other chemical compounds are present only in trace amounts. The atmosphere of Venus is in a state of vigorous circulation and super-rotation. The whole atmosphere circles the planet in just four Earth days, much faster than Venus' sideral day of 243 days. The winds supporting super-rotation blow as fast as 100 m/s (~220 mph). Near the poles are anticyclonic structures called polar vortexes. Each vortex is double-eyed and shows a characteristic S-shaped pattern of clouds. 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' induced magnetosphere. Lighter gases, including water vapor, are continuously blown away by the solar wind through the induced magnetotail. It is currently thought 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. The runaway greenhouse effect may have been caused by the evaporation of the surface water and subsequent rise of the levels of other greenhouse gases. 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 is 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.