![]() ![]() ![]() Its ionosphere separates the atmosphere from outer space and the solar wind. Unlike Earth, Venus lacks a magnetic field. 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. Above there is an intermediate layer of mesosphere which separates the troposphere from the thermosphere. Each vortex is double-eyed and shows a characteristic S-shaped pattern of clouds. Near the poles are anticyclonic structures called polar vortices. 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. 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. The winds supporting super-rotation blow at a speed of 100 m/s (≈360 km/h or 220 mph) or more. 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. Īside from the very surface layers, the atmosphere is in a state of vigorous circulation. Other chemical compounds are present only in trace amounts. Aside from carbon dioxide, the other main component is nitrogen. Information about the topography has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging. The Venusian atmosphere supports opaque clouds of sulfuric acid, making optical Earth-based and orbital observation of the surface impossible. The temperature at the surface is 740 K (467 ☌, 872 ☏), and the pressure is 93 bar (1,350 psi), roughly the pressure found 900 m (3,000 ft) underwater on Earth. The atmosphere of Venus is primarily of supercritical carbon dioxide and is much denser and hotter than that of Earth. ![]()
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