Venus 101 | Life On Planet Venus | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

Oh, little kitty, why do you look so sad? Kitty read astrology. So? Kitty is Venus' bird. Well, I don't hold any expertise in the subject of astrology. But I can surely explain the good, bad and the best part of Venus through astronomy. Oh, please explain. Alrighty then. Hey friends, so in today's episode, let us learn some exciting in-depth facts about this planet of love we call Venus. Zoom in! Venus is the second planet from the Sun and the sixth largest in our solar system. It is a planet that consists of mountains, valleys and tens of thousands of volcanoes and has a radius of 3760 miles and a diameter of 7521 miles. Slightly smaller than Earth. So because of these similarities with Earth, in terms of size, structure and chemical composition, it is often called Earth's twin. But the significant difference between us is that Venus rotates on its axis backward compared to most of the other planets in the solar system. This means that on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east, opposite to what we experience on Earth. Not only that, Venus reflects 70% of all the sunlight it receives and that is why it is the second brightest object in the sky after the Moon and the Sun. But unfortunately, not everything that shines is gold. And what seems like love at first sight can eventually turn toxic, which is absolutely true for Venus. Yes, that's because Venus' entire surface is covered with clouds made of poisonous sulphur dioxide, giving us enough reasons not to step on the planet. And if we need to know what happens if we try to land on this planet, then please check out our video, What if we landed on Venus? The link is in the description below. But it does not mean that no attempt was made to access this planet as the first spacecraft to set mechanical feet on another planet landed on Venus. Yes, around the 1960s and 70s, the former Soviet Union's Venera probes dropped through the planet's unbearable atmosphere managed to send back essential data on Earth, letting us know that Venus is like a massive pressure cooker. That's true, my friends. Venus has crushing air pressure at its surface, which is more than 90 times that of Earth. This is similar to the pressure you'd encounter a mile below the ocean on Earth. This pressure is so intense that a human standing on its surface would be crushed. And on top of that, the atmosphere is full of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, leading to the issue of extreme global warming. The atmospheric layer traps the sun's heat, causing the surface temperature to go over 880 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to melt lead and declaring Venus the hottest planet in our solar system, despite Mercury being closest to the sun. All these factors make Venus an inhospitable planet, where neither life nor spacecraft can survive. But some scientists believe that this wasn't always the case. Yes, around 2.9 billion to 750 million years ago, Venus's global temperature is speculated to be a few degrees cooler than what we have on Earth today. And they also believe that its surface may have contained shallow oceans with enough water to support life. Not only that, even today, despite the punishable environment, some scientists theorize that life may still exist in this planet's atmosphere. You heard that right, my friends! Around 30 miles above Venus's clouds, where the surface pressure and temperature are still kind of like the Earth's surface, researchers have found abnormal dark streaks soaking UV radiations. This incredible event can be evidence of microbial life. Now, that's awesome news! And who knows what else lies in Venus's mysterious environment? Did you know Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty? Yes, it was due to its bright shining appearance in the sky. Hope you learned something fascinating today. Until next time, it's me, Dr. Binocs, Zooming out! Never mind!