Top 10 questions about Venus that children ask the most and scientific answers

Tell your baby: It was previously thought that Venus and Earth were “twins”, possibly with life. However, scientists have realized that the main composition of Venus’s atmosphere is CO2 accounting for 97%, the content of other toxic gases is much more than Earth’s atmosphere. The surface of Venus has a pressure equivalent to that of the Earth’s 900m deep sea. Such great pressure makes both Venus suffer from the “greenhouse effect”, the surface temperature of Venus up to 480 degrees Celsius.

You need to know that: Because most of Venus’s atmosphere is carbon dioxide, the massive greenhouse effect causes the planet’s surface to heat up. The temperature here can reach 470 degrees Celsius, Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System. Some scientists have suggested that Venus had oceans in the past, but evaporated as the planet’s temperature increased due to the uncontrolled greenhouse effect. The entire surface of Venus is an arid desert of rock and dust. For this question, you should lead and explain the composition of the atmosphere on Venus before giving a formal answer. This way, the child will understand the problem more easily.

Tell your baby: In the Solar System, Venus is not the largest planet, but its proximity to Earth makes it the brightest star in the sky. It is also the second brightest object at night after the Moon. Venus reaches its greatest brightness right near sunset or dawn, so it is also known as Evening star (when the planet rises at dusk) and Morning star (when this planet rises at dawn). bright).

You need to know that: Why Venus sometimes appears in the East at dawn, sometimes appears in the West when the Sun has just set. Venus is an inland planet, from Earth looking up it always hovers on either side of the Sun. When it moves to the West of the Sun, it will rise in the East before sunrise, then we call it “morning star”. As it moves to the East of the Sun it reappears in the western sky after sunset. Then we call it “Evening Star”. This means that the Morning Star and the Evening Star cannot appear late at night, nor can it be seen on the same day. This is a question about observation skills, please explain to your child in the above way, and at the same time watch the stars with your child to increase the interest.

Tell your baby: The winds blow over Venus at super-velocities, which can reach very high speeds in the middle cloud layer. The winds on Venus are faster than Earth’s strongest hurricanes. Astronomers say the winds of Venus blow so fast that they cause “super-rotation,” which causes the blown clouds to orbit the planet in just four Earth days.

You need to know that: Thermal inertia and heat transfer by winds in the near-surface atmosphere suggest that Venus’ surface temperature does not vary greatly between the day and night side, despite the planet’s extremely low rotational rate. Wind speeds near the surface are low, blowing at speeds of several kilometers per hour, but due to the high density of the near-surface atmosphere, the wind exerts a great force on the obstacles it blows over, and transports dust and debris. small rocks that travel all over the planet’s surface. The definitions of inertia and velocity will not attract children to listen, but if you give specific examples of how a wind moves on this planet, children will be much more interested.

Tell your baby: Venus has more volcanoes than any other planet in the Solar System. Astronomers have counted 1.600 volcanoes on the surface of Venus, but it is likely that this number will be more due to its small size that we cannot see. Scientists think most of the volcanoes on Venus are dormant, although there may be a few that are still active.

You need to know that: Much of Venus’s ground is an exposed volcanic bedrock, some with thin and patchy land cover, in stark contrast to Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Several impact craters are present, but Venus is similar to Earth in that there are far fewer craters than the other rocky planets that are largely covered by them. This is partly because the thickness of Venus’s atmosphere interrupts small impacts before they hit the ground, but the large crater’s porosity may be due to the re-emergence of the volcanism, which could be a catastrophic nature. Studying the geology of a planet is difficult, using a lot of specialized knowledge that children cannot understand. Therefore, you should use simple, familiar words to describe your answer in the most accurate way.

Tell your baby: Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is most similar to Earth. Both planets are roughly the same size, and Venus’s structure is almost the same as that of Earth. Venus’s orbit is also closer to Earth’s than any other planet in the solar system. Both planets have relatively young surfaces and both have thick, cloudy atmospheres (it should be noted, however, that Venus’s clouds are mostly toxic).

You need to know that: The volume and mass of Venus are also similar to those of Earth. It is also atmospheric, which reflects sunlight to glow. It was previously thought that Venus and Earth were “twins”, possibly with life. Since 1961, the Soviet Union has launched 14 probes to survey Venus, finding that the atmosphere of Venus is a layer that is both hot and dense with sulfuric acid rain clouds. The main composition of Venus’s atmosphere is CO2 accounting for 97%, the content of argon and neon (Ar and Ne) is much higher than that of Earth’s atmosphere. The surface of Venus has a pressure of 90Atm, equivalent to the pressure under the sea 900m deep of the Earth. Such great pressure causes both Venus to suffer from the “greenhouse effect”, the surface temperature of Venus is up to 480 degrees Celsius. This question you need to get evidence to explain your answer. However, you also need to note that the use of evidence must be simple, easy to understand, and suitable for children’s perception.

Tell your baby: Venus has been the target of human observations for millennia. According to records, since 1.600 BC, the ancient Babylonians have been tracking the orbit of this planet in the sky. The Greek mathematician Pythagoras was the first to discover that the stars that are brightest in the early morning and evening are in fact one – Venus.

You need to know that: The first robotic spacecraft mission to Venus and also the first planet to be explored by a human probe, began on February 12, 2, with the launch of Venera 1961. The spacecraft successfully launched during the Venera program in direct orbit but lost contact with the ground about seven days after launch, when the spacecraft was 1 million kilometers from Earth. Russian scientists expect it to pass Venus at a distance of 2 km in the middle of May 100.000. If you tell your child about the times when humans have officially studied the planet, it will probably have to say. a lot and your baby won’t want to hear it. Point out figures that show this is a long time ago, that way it will be easier for your baby to understand.

Tell your baby: Venus is one of the few planets that we can observe as it passes the Sun. Earth is the third planet of the solar system, so we can only observe the above event with two planets, Mercury and Venus. Venus transiting the Sun is a very rare phenomenon, it takes more than a century for a pair to occur, ie twice occurring about 8 years apart.

You need to know that: The transit of Venus is one of the most predictable and rare astronomical phenomena. They repeat cyclically every 243 years, with each pair of transits occurring eight years apart and then followed by a long interval of 8 years and 121,5 years. Such a long period is because the ratio between the orbital periods of Earth and Venus is close to the rational ratio 105,5:8 and 13:243. You do not need to give specific data when answering your child’s question because that way he will not be able to understand the problem. Let’s simplify them, speaking in the most general way about the problem for the baby to understand is the most reasonable choice.

Tell your baby: Venus is a special planet, in a year there are only 1 days. Venus is one of two planets in the system that rotates around its axis in a clockwise direction. Moving in a special way with super slow rotation, making a day on Venus as long as 2 Earth days. Even this time is longer than its whole year, which is only 243 days of Earth.

You need to know that: One revolution of Venus around the Sun is equivalent to 225 Earth days, its rotation is 243 days. Since these two rotations are opposite, from Venus looking up at the Sun will see rising in the west and setting in the east. Because the two rotations are opposite, a day and night on Venus is much shorter than the time it takes to rotate once. According to calculations, 2 day and night on Venus is 2 days, each day and night is 1 days. “1 year” on Venus refers to its “117 days”. If you just answer this question in the usual way, your baby may feel bored and tend to explore less about this area of ​​knowledge. However, we need to include a lot of other knowledge around the main answer to help children expand their understanding.

Tell your baby: The air pressure on the surface of Venus is extremely high, about 90 times higher than the pressure of sea level on Earth. In other words, the pressure on Venus is equivalent to the pressure of Earth’s ocean water at a depth of 1km. Therefore, standing on Venus is like standing in the ocean at a depth of 1km without protective clothing. Conclusion: We cannot stand on Venus like we are on Earth.

You need to know that: The air pressure on the surface of Venus is extremely high, about 90 times higher than the pressure of sea level on Earth. In other words, the pressure on Venus is equivalent to the pressure of Earth’s ocean water at a depth of 1km. The Russian spacecraft, Venera, actually landed on the planet’s surface and captured and captured beautiful images of the rigors of the earth, but with tremendous heat, pressure and other extreme conditions. , the cruise ship did not last long after landing. Your child may not understand what pressure is, but simplifying pressure into an easy-to-understand form will help your child absorb the problem better.

Tell your baby: While other planets have countless moons, such as Jupiter with 63 Moons, Venus does not have any. Venus and Mercury are also the only two planets with no natural satellites orbiting in the Solar System. However, Venus also has a moon phase like the Moon on Earth.

You need to know that: On the Moon, the phase period is 29 days, also known as moon phases. Because Venus orbits the Sun within the orbit of the Earth, this planet also has phases like the Moon. When Venus is facing the Sun, it is in its fullest phase (like a full moon) and when this planet is between the Earth and the Sun, it is in a new phase (like the first moon of the month). . The first person to witness these phases was the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, in 1610. To just say that there is no Moon on Venus would be a less compelling answer, let’s take the example of planets. Other planets in the solar system then give the correct answer that will stimulate the baby’s curiosity, making him want to hear the answer more.