Planet+2+Venus

Planet Facts:
 * Venus is the second planet from the Sun.
 * Venus has no moons.
 * Venus and Earth are almost the exact same size, so they are sometimes called sister planets.
 * Venus is called the evit twin because the surface is hot enough to cook a meal in minutes.
 * Venus is brightest object in the night sky except for the moon.
 * Venus is dry and hot with mountains and valleys.
 * Venus is covered with thick, yellow clouds with strong winds

Global Warming

In the early days of Venus' 4 billion year long life, it would have appeared very similar to the Earth. The two would have been almost identical. However over a period of a few million years forces on Venus caused it to take a very different course than the Earth. Venus lies much closer to the Sun than does our planet. That single fact has caused an unstoppable chain of events that doomed Venus to its fiery existence. Owing to its closer proximity to the Sun, Venus' temperature should have been only slightly warmer than that of the Earth. As the planet warmed, water which formed oceans, lakes, and rivers on the Earth, evaporated. This increase in water vapor began a cycle of global warming that could not be stopped. Water vapor is a very effective greenhouse gas. The increase in water vapor caused the temperature to rise further, which caused more water to evaporate, causing the temperature to climb still further. Today it is likely that all of Venus' water has evaporated, into the atmosphere. This atmosphere effectively traps the Sun's energy causing the surface to burn much hotter than it naturally would.

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