Venus
Astronomy
Word Bank:
crushed
second
iron
morning
heat
Name:
gravity
cloud
hottest
mass
atmosphere
Period:
dusk
crescent
visible
field
Sun
Venus is the __________________________ planet from the Sun in our Solar System. It is the
_________________________ planet in our Solar System. This planet is covered with fastmoving sulphuric acid clouds which trap __________________________ from the Sun. Its thick
atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. Its __________________________ cover traps the heat of
the sun (the greenhouse effect), giving Venus temperatures up to 480°C. Venus is a planet on
which a person would asphyxiate in the poisonous __________________________, be cooked in
the extremely high heat, and be __________________________ by the enormous atmospheric
pressure. Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love.
Venus has an ________________________ core but only a very weak magnetic
__________________________. It has no moons. Venus is about 7,521 miles (12,104 km) in
diameter; this is about 95% of the diameter of the Earth. Venus is the closest to Earth in size and
mass of any of the other planets in our Solar System. Venus' __________________________ is
about 4.87 x 1024 kg. The gravity on Venus is 91% of the __________________________ on
Earth. A 100-pound person would weigh 91 pounds on Venus.
Venus is also known as the "__________________________ star" or the "evening star" since it
is visible and quite bright at either dawn or dusk. It is only __________________________ at
dawn or __________________________ since it is closer to the __________________________
than we are. Like the moon, Venus' appearance from Earth changes as it orbits around the Sun. It
goes from full to gibbous to __________________________ to new and back.
Summary Questions….
1. What is another name for the planet Venus? _____________________
2. Is Venus much bigger, much smaller, or about the same size as the
Earth?_______________________
3. Does Venus have a thick or thin atmosphere?_______________________
4. What is the major component of Venus' atmosphere? ____________________
5. It rains on Venus. What is this rain made of? _____________________
6. Is Venus shrouded in clouds? _______________________
7. Is Venus the planet nearest the Sun in our Solar System or the second-nearest?
______________________
8. Is Venus the hottest planet in our Solar System or the second-hottest?
____________________
9. How many moons does Venus have? ______________________
10. On Earth, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. On Venus, does this also happen?
______________________