Venus

Venus. . , Venus has the hottest surface of any planet in our solar system, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. Why is Venus so hot? Its atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and is 93 times denser than Earth's. The carbon dioxide has caused an intense greenhouse effect that has heated the planet's surface to a sweltering 860°F (460°C). , , Captions: , Inside the Observatory , Venus goes through phases, and its apparent size varies, as the planet's position relative to the Sun and Earth changes. If the Cook Memorial Telescope is pointed toward Venus, you can compare your observations to those of past visitors. , , Phases of Venus , September 2013 to January 2014 , The Public Observatory captured these images of Venus, which goes through phases, over the course of five months. , , Viewing Our Solar System: , Magellan , NASA's Magellan spacecraft studied Venus's geology, gravity, and topography. Released by the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis, Magellan arrived at Venus in 1990. Over the next four years, it mapped most of Venus's surface using radar. It charted the planet's tectonic features, lava plains, craters, and dune fields. Magellan's final task was to gather aerodynamic data by intentionally falling into Venus's atmosphere. Scientists, including those at the Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, still use the wealth of Magellan data to learn more about Venus. , , This artist's concept shows Magellan with a radar map of Venus created from Magellan data. , NASA/JPL , , The Pioneer Venus Orbiter obtained this view of the planet's cloud cover. , NASA , , ←This view of Venus's surface was created using radar data from Magellan. Gaps are filled in with data from the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope. Blue represents low elevation; orange represents high elevation. , NASA/JPL/USGS , , How to Learn More: , http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/ , http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/ , Also check inside the observatory during operating hours for Venus's current phase.