Core Knowledge, Part 6
Question 1: Describe the early thoughts concerning the topography of Venus.
Answer 1: With the invention of the telescope, optical observations of Venus became possible, although it soon became apparent that its surface is permanently hidden by dense cloud. In 1643, Francesco Fontana was the first of several astronomers claiming to see dark markings on these clouds, while others even said that they could see part of the surface through holes in the clouds. Astronomers also claimed to have seen brilliant points in certain spots on the disk of the planet, suggesting an enormous mountain whose top was higher than the clouds. The surface of Venus is comparatively very flat. When 93 of the surface is found located within 500 meters (1640 feet) of the median radius of 6,052 km (3760 mi).
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Question 2: Explain the wind and temperature of Venus.
Answer 2: Despite the fact that Venus is the planet closest to Earth (some 40 million kilometers at inferior conjunction), and is similar in size, the resemblance is superficial: no probe has been able to survive more than a few hours on its surface because the atmospheric pressure is some 90 times that of Earth's. The temperature on the surface is around 450°C (842°F). This is mostly caused by the greenhouse effect created by an atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide.
Question 3: Describe the highlands, deposition plains and lowlands of Venus.
Answer 3: HighlandsThis unit covers about 10 of the planet's surface, with altitudes greater than two kilometers. The most important provinces of the highlands are Aphrodite Terra, Ishtar Terra, and Lada Terra, as well as the regions Beta Regio, Phoebe Regio and Themis Regio. The regions Alpha Regio, Bell Regio, Eistla Regio and Tholus Regio form a less important group of highlands.Deposition plainsDeposition plains have altitudes averaging zero to two kilometers and cover more than half of the planet’s surface.LowlandsThe rest of the surface is called the lowlands and generally lies below zero altitude. Radar reflectivity data suggests that at a centimeter scale these areas are smooth, the result of an accumulation of fine material eroded from the highlands.
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