Glossary term: Vênus
Description: Vênus é o segundo planeta mais próximo do Sol. Frequentemente chamado de gêmeo da Terra, Vênus é um planeta rochoso e terrestre com um raio de pouco mais de 6.000 quilômetros (km), correspondente a cerca de 95% do raio da Terra. Sua massa equivale a aproximadamente 0,815 vezes a massa terrestre. A atmosfera de Vênus é cerca de 90 vezes mais densa que a da Terra. É composta principalmente por dióxido de carbono, juntamente com densas nuvens de ácido sulfúrico que cobrem toda a superfície. A atmosfera densa produz um efeito estufa muito forte, o que resulta em uma temperatura superficial de 460 graus Celsius.
Sua distância típica do Sol é de 108 milhões de quilômetros, cerca de 0,72 unidades astronômicas (distâncias Terra–Sol). Leva 224,7 dias para completar uma órbita. Vênus leva muito tempo para dar uma volta completa em torno de seu eixo em relação às estrelas distantes; um dia de Vênus corresponde a 243 dias terrestres. Esse período é mais longo do que o tempo que Vênus leva para completar uma órbita ao redor do Sol. Vênus não possui luas conhecidas.
Vênus recebeu esse nome em homenagem à deusa romana do amor. Por estar tão próximo do Sol, costuma ser visível no céu noturno pouco antes do nascer do sol ou após o pôr do sol. Nessas ocasiões, Vênus é visivelmente brilhante mesmo quando observado a olho nu e é tradicionalmente chamado de “estrela d'Alva” ou “estrela vespertina”, respectivamente. Com binóculos, é possível observar que Vênus apresenta fases semelhantes às da Lua.
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See this term in other languages
Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval
The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".
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In Other Languages
- Árabe: كوكب الزهرة
- Alemão: Venus (Planet)
- Inglês: Venus
- Francês: Vénus
- Italiano: Venere (pianeta)
- Japonês: 金星 (external link)
- Coreano: 금성
- Chinês Simplificado: 金星
- Chinês Tradicional: 金星
Related Media
Vênus em luz visível
Caption: Esta foto, tirada pela sonda Mariner 10 da NASA, mostra como o planeta Vênus aparece a olho nu. Vênus está envolto em uma espessa atmosfera de nuvens, dominada por dióxido de carbono, que nunca revela sua superfície quente.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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License: PD Public Domain icons
Superfície de Vênus
Caption: Esta imagem é uma representação computadorizada da superfície do planeta Vênus. Como a luz visível não consegue penetrar nas espessas nuvens da atmosfera de Vênus, a imagem foi obtida com ondas de rádio. A sonda espacial Megallan da NASA, lançada em 1989, mapeou a superfície de Vênus entre 1990 e 1994.
Credit: NASA/JPL
credit link
License: PD Public Domain icons
To guard the Stars and the Sea Together
Caption: Winner in the 2022 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Still images of celestial patterns.
This image composition is amazing. In the far background of the landscape we see a chain of mountains that seems to mirror the structure of the Milky Way in the sky above. The strong daylight-like colours of the landscape are caused by the Moon, the bright light at the top of the image.
Taken in Kinabalu, Malaysia, in February 2019, this image shows the alignment of planets and the Moon, conveying the idea of the ecliptic as the central line of the Zodiac, the plane within which all planets orbit the Sun. The ecliptic is the central line of the Zodiac, so the region of about five to 10 degrees either side of the ecliptic is where the constellations of the Zodiac are located. Starting from the horizon towards the bottom left of the image we can see the planets Venus, Saturn and Jupiter. The planets have different cultural significance for people around the world, and are deeply embedded in social, religious and practical aspects of life. For example, Wardaman traditions of Indigenous Australians associate the planets with ancestor spirits who traverse the Celestial Road (ecliptic). The appearance and disappearance of planets in the sky are associated with various ceremonies. For example, when Venus starts being the “Morning star” after having been the “Evening star”, this marks the Banumbirr ceremony for the Yolnu people of Arnhem Land, in Australia.
The image also shows the constellations Scorpius, Aquila, Lupus and Triangulum Australe, the asterism of the Teapot, and the two pointer stars Alpha and Beta Centauri. The constellations, asterisms and individual stars within them have significance in many different cultures.
Malaysia, being close to the equator, has had connections to the north as well as to the south and almost the whole sky is visible over the course of the year. The star Antares is seen by the Kokatha people of the Western Desert as Kogolongo, the red tailed black cockatoo, while the Boorong refer to it as Djuit, the red-rumped parrot. The two stars which form the stinger of Scorpius (Shaula and Lesath), are called Karik Karik, the Australian Kestrel.
Credit: Likai Lin/IAU OAE
License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
Romanian Orion
Caption: Winner in the 2022 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category Still images of celestial patterns.
Taken in Romania in August 2012, this image shows two of the most recognisable constellations in the sky, Orion and Taurus.
Orion, the Hunter, is found near the horizon. The most prominent star visible in this image is Betelgeuse, while the asterism of Orion’s belt is formed by three aligned bright stars. Just above Orion we can find Taurus, one of the constellations of the Zodiac. As the Zodiac is inherited from Babylon, The Bull of Heaven represents a mighty but dangerous creature that was defeated by King Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu. They cut the Bull in half and sacrificed the animal to the gods in order to protect their people. Taurus is also home to the star cluster Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. Two planets are visible: Venus, the bright spot near the fence, and Jupiter, the bright spot at the top, next to the Bull’s face.
Different cultures have included the stars of these constellations in their own mythology. The Romanians, for instance, after Christianisation identified four other constellations using some of the stars of Orion and others surrounding it. One such constellation is called Trisfetitele (the Three Saints), which is associated with the three stars comprising Orion's Belt, representing the Three Hierarchs Basil, Gregory and John. This same asterism is also called Three Wise Men, Kings from the East or just Three Kings — all of these names being rooted in the Christian religion.
The agricultural calendar, in contrast, led farmers to define two other constellations, the Little Plough and the Sickle. Both are seen in the southern half of the Orion rectangle; the Little Plough is drawn by connecting the southern quadrilateral with Orion’s left shoulder, and the Sickle is formed by connecting Orion’s left foot (Rigel) with the belt stars, forming an arch and completing the form of a hoe. In the cultural calendar, these constellations were used to announce the harvest of wheat/grain. Finally, the fourth Romanian constellation is the Great Auger, where Orion’s belt represents the handle of the auger, and Betelgeuse is the tip, facing towards Pollux in Gemini. This constellation is associated with treasure, as Romanian peasants believe that the Auger points to the treasure when they approach the end of the world.
Most of the official star names in Orion are Arabic; Mintaka (meaning “belt”) is at the waist; Alnitak (meaning “girdle”) and Alnilam (meaning “string”) are at the belt; and Rigel (meaning foot) is at the left foot. The star on the left shoulder is named Bellatrix, the Latin term for a female warrior. The star at the right leg is called Saiph, for the sword or sabre of the Arabic Orion.
Credit: Alex Conu/IAU OAE
License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
A Matter of Perspective
Caption: Second place winner in the 2023 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest, category of Still images of phases of Venus.
This exquisite series of images, captured from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, between 17 December 2019 and 25 May 2020, shows the phases of Venus as seen from Earth. As Venus and Earth orbit the Sun, we observe different portions of Venus’s sunlit half, similar to the Moon’s phases. The sequence clearly shows Venus as distant, small, bright and gibbous in the lower frames, and ends with Venus reaching the biggest apparent size of all planets (upper frames), very close to the Sun with a small elongation, and appearing as a thin crescent. In the last frame, only 2.8% of the planet’s surface is illuminated.
Credit: Christofer Baez/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)
License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
Related Activities
Children's Planetary Maps: Venus
astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website) Description: Learn more about our nearest neighbour
License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
Tags:
Planetary cartography
, Spatial thinking
Age Ranges:
6-8
, 8-10
, 10-12
, 12-14
Education Level:
Middle School
, Primary
, Secondary
Areas of Learning:
Social Research
Costs:
Low Cost
Duration:
2 hours
Group Size:
Group
Skills:
Analysing and interpreting data
, Asking questions
, Communicating information
, Constructing explanations
, Developing and using models
, Engaging in argument from evidence
, Planning and carrying out investigations
Meet our neighbours: Venus
astroEDU educational activity (links to astroEDU website) Description: Ever dreamed of building a tactile version of planet Venus?
License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons
Age Ranges:
6-8
, 8-10
, 10-12
Education Level:
Primary
Areas of Learning:
Fun activity
, Modelling
Costs:
Low Cost
Duration:
1 hour
Group Size:
Group
Skills:
Analysing and interpreting data
, Developing and using models
