VENUS (continued)
Venus is scorched with a
surface temperature of about 482° C (900° F). This high temperature
is primarily due to a runaway greenhouse effect caused by the
heavy atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Sunlight passes through the
atmosphere to heat the surface of the planet. Heat is radiated out,
but is trapped by the dense atmosphere and not allowed to escape into
space. This makes Venus hotter than Mercury.
|
Sif Mons Volcano generated from Magellan
mission is 2 km high. |