NOVEMBER STUDY ** VENUS**

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This month we will study the planet Venus.

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Use the words below to fill in the blanks


WORD BANK

crushed
second
iron
morning
heat gravity
cloud
hottest
mass
atmosphere 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 fast-moving 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.




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www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/

Use the link above to view pictures and symbols of Venus

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Inside Venus Atmosphere and Clouds Transit of Venus Spacecraft Visits Web Links

INTRODUCTION TO VENUS

GENERAL INFORMATION
Venus is the second planet from the sun in our solar system. It is the hottest planet in our Solar System. This planet is covered with fast-moving sulphuric acid clouds which trap heat from the Sun. Its thick atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. Venus has an iron core but only a very weak magnetic field.
This is a planet on which a person would asphyxiate in the poisonous atmosphere, be cooked in the extremely high heat, and be crushed by the enormous atmospheric pressure.

Venus is also known as the "morning star" or the "evening star" since it is visible and quite bright at either dawn or dusk. It is only visible at dawn or dusk since it is closer to the sun than we are.

Like the moon, Venus' appearance from Earth changes as it orbits around the Sun. It goes from full to gibbous to crescent to new and back.

SIZE
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.

MASS AND GRAVITY
Venus' mass is about 4.87 x 1024 kg. The gravity on Venus is 91% of the gravity on Earth. A 100-pound person would weigh 91 pounds on Venus.

The density of Venus is 5,240 kg/m3, slightly less dense than the Earth and the third densest planet in our Solar System (after the Earth and Mercury).

LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON VENUS
Venus rotates VERY slowly. Each day on Venus takes 243 Earth days. A year on Venus takes 224.7 Earth days. It takes 224.7 Earth days for Venus to orbit the sun once. The same side of Venus always faces Earth when the Earth and Venus are closest together.

VENUS' ORBIT AND DISTANCE FROM THE SUN
Venus is 67,230,000 miles (108,200,000 km) from the sun. Venus has an almost circular orbit. On average, Venus is 0.72 AU, 67,230,000 miles = 108,200,000 km from the sun.

Venus rotates in the opposite direction of the Earth (and the other planets, except possibly Uranus). Looking from the north, Venus rotates clockwise, while the other planets rotate counterclockwise. From Venus, the Sun would seem to rise in the west and set in the east (the opposite of Earth). No one knows why Venus has this unusual rotation.

TEMPERATURE ON VENUS
Venus is the hottest planet in our Solar System. Its cloud cover traps the heat of the sun (the greenhouse effect), giving Venus temperatures up to 480°C. The mean temperature on Venus is 726 K (452°C = 870°F).

MOONS
Venus has no moons.

VENUS-EARTH COMPARISONS





FIRST SPACECRAFT TO REACH VENUS
Venera 3 (from the U.S.S.R.) was the first manmade object to reach Venus. This Soviet spacecraft was launched on November 16, 1965. On March 1, 1966 , the spacecraft arrived at Venus and the capsule parachuted down to the planet, but contact was lost just before entry into the atmosphere.

VENUS' NAME AND SYMBOL

This is the symbol of the planet Venus.
Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love.

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Zoom Astronomy - Print-out for Grade 3-5
Find it! in Zoom Astronomy

Use the section on the Venus to answer the following 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? ______________________

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Venus
By Sharon Fabian

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1 People love to complain about the weather, and they love to blame the weatherman. Weather forecasters give us the bad news about rain, snow, and sleet. They report summer weather that is too hot to have fun in the sun, and winter weather that is so cold you just want to stay inside wrapped up in an old quilt. Of course, they also get to report sunny days, blue skies with puffy little white clouds, rain to make the crops grow, spectacular thunderstorms and tornadoes, and snow holidays. Being a weather forecaster here on Earth is really not a bad job. Weather forecasters report beach weather, ski weather, and travel weather too. Overall the weather here on Earth is really pretty good, especially compared to the weather on, say, Venus.

2 Being a weather forecaster on Venus would be a totally different matter. Being a weather forecaster on Venus might just be the worst job of them all. Just for starters, a day on Venus lasts as long as 117 days on Earth. How would you like to prepare the weather report for one of those days? Just take a look at some of the weather conditions you would have to report.

3 Sunshine -- None. Even though Venus is a hot planet, it never, ever, gets a nice sunny day. Its dense atmosphere filters out most of the sun, letting only very weak sunlight through.

4 Sunrise / Sunset -- On Venus the sun rises in the West and sets in the East, but not very often. Remember, one Venusian day is the same length as 117 Earth days.

5 Storms -- Thunder and lightning are an everyday thing in Venus' atmosphere, but on the surface Venus is a dry planet with no rain or snow.

6 Clouds -- Venus has a thick atmosphere with several layers of clouds. In fact, it is always cloudy on Venus. In the upper atmosphere the clouds, containing poisonous sulfuric acid, give Venus its pale yellow color.

7 Atmosphere -- Venus' atmosphere contains mostly carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid, and almost no water. In the lower layers of the atmosphere there are solid particles floating around which scientists have not yet identified. At the surface, the atmosphere is 91 times as dense as our atmosphere here on Earth. If you could walk in this atmosphere on Venus you would be walking in slow motion, almost like you were swimming.

8 Temperature -- The temperature on Venus is approximately the temperature of a very hot oven. Venus' dense atmosphere keeps it hot even at night. In fact, Venus is hotter than Mercury, which is closer to the sun.

9 Precipitation -- None.

10 Winds -- Always heavy in the upper atmosphere, moving at hurricane speed. Always slow on the surface, and always moving in the same direction.

11 Now for your special forecasts for viewers who are thinking about a day at the beach or on the ski slopes, followed by your travelers' forecast.

12 Beach Forecast -- None. No oceans, no beaches.

13 Ski Forecast -- None. Mountains, but no snow.

14 Travel Forecast -- None. No travelers.

15 Kind of makes the job of an Earth weather forecaster look like a day at the park, doesn't it?

Copyright © 2004 edHelper
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Name _____________________________
Date ___________________
Venus


1. Venus has _____.
Oceans
Comfortable temperatures for humans
Short days
Mountains

2. This article is mainly about _____.
Conditions on Venus
Conditions on Mars
How to be a weather forecaster
Whether Venus has any water


3. The temperature on Venus does not become cool at night because of_____.
Its revolution
The dense atmosphere
Its rotation
The bright sunlight

4. At one time, people thought that Venus might be much like Earth. Now we know that that is not true because Venus has _____.
Many forms of precipitation
Clouds in its atmosphere
An atmosphere that is way too harsh for humans
Five moons


5. From the facts in the article, you can infer that the temperature on Venus is _____ degrees Fahrenheit.
Over 2000
Approximately 100
Below zero
Over 250

6. The meaning of the word atmosphere is most like _____.
Land
Air
Temperature
Water


7. Spacecraft that have landed on Venus have only lasted for a few hours there. This is probably because of _____.
The harsh atmosphere
Falling in craters
Lightning
Aliens

8. Where do you think would be the best places for a weather forecaster to work? The worst?

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Venus - Answer Key



1 Mountains
2 Conditions on Venus
3 The dense atmosphere
4 An atmosphere that is way too harsh for humans
5 Over 250
6 Air
7 The harsh atmosphere

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Name _____________________________
Date ___________________

Venus Word Search


Find each of the following words.


VOLCANIC FLOWS
224.7 DAYS REVOLUTION
CIRCULAR ORBIT
DENSE ATMOSPHERE
EARTH'S SISTER PLANET
CARBON DIOXIDE
SULFURIC ACID CLOUDS
SECOND PLANET
MORNING STAR
HOTTEST PLANET
243 DAYS ROTATION
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
SUNSET IN EAST
EVENING STAR
VENUS




L N G I E E B A A Y I S E C O N D P L A N E T R N I S
S C T D E C E R M O R N I N G S T A R E E 2 L R E V A F
V E A R T H ' S S I S T E R P L A N E T N A O E O G T
2 4 3 D A Y S R O T A T I O N F S T O S O E N S A ' U
I N 2 L G L Y 2 2 4 . 7 D A Y S R E V O L U T I O N I
I A O E E V E N I N G S T A R L M I S O M S I L Y 4
N C E F A P E C I R C U L A R O R B I T D O P F X E X
N O D F U A A I S N C A R B O N D I O X I D E O T C I O
C I D E N S E A T M O S P H E R E S T E U T C I N A A T
T N S V O L C A N I C F L O W S O L E E R I L T C E P C
S U L F U R I C A C I D C L O U D S I E N O A S E U L
C P I R G R E E N H O U S E E F F E C T C E P I O B C U
E E H E A C B N T N S T H O T T E S T P L A N E T V
O L S U N S E T I N E A S T Y A C T R G U A D 3
R U I C R N 2 L T D F N E C A E H R ' L N N N E I . L R



Answer Key
VOLCANIC FLOWS 224.7 DAYS REVOLUTION CIRCULAR ORBIT DENSE ATMOSPHERE
EARTH'S SISTER PLANET CARBON DIOXIDE SULFURIC ACID CLOUDS SECOND PLANET
MORNING STAR HOTTEST PLANET 243 DAYS ROTATION GREENHOUSE EFFECT
SUNSET IN EAST EVENING STAR VENUS


S E C O N D P L A N E T
M O R N I N G S T A R V
E A R T H ' S S I S T E R P L A N E T E
2 4 3 D A Y S R O T A T I O N N
2 2 4 . 7 D A Y S R E V O L U T I O N
E V E N I N G S T A R S
C I R C U L A R O R B I T
C A R B O N D I O X I D E
D E N S E A T M O S P H E R E
V O L C A N I C F L O W S
S U L F U R I C A C I D C L O U D S
G R E E N H O U S E E F F E C T
H O T T E S T P L A N E T
S U N S E T I N E A S T

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www.the-solar-system.net/planet-venus/venus.html

Lots of info

More appropriate for older students. Pictures, info and quizzes included. A must see site

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©abcteach Planet Report


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Name __________________ Date ___________________

Name of Planet ________________________

Position from the sun ____________________

Report:

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What was the most interesting fact you researched about your planet?

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kidsastronomy.com/

Good info

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www.dustbunny.com/afk/index.html

More info

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www.frontiernet.net/~kidpower/planets.html