AST101H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Venus Express, Volcanism, Valles Marineris
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AST101H1 Full Course Notes
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Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Mars has fewer active volcanoes than venus. Venus" average temp is 470 c much hotter. 1 day is 243 earth days long days. Not sure why venus rotates backward (or alternatively, upside down) Maybe it suffered a huge collision with another object a long time ago. Volcanism: eruption of molten rock onto surface. Tectonics: disruption of a planet"s surface by internal stresses. Erosion: surface changes made by wind, water, or ice. Surface of venus completely hidden beneath thick clouds. Magellan missions mapped entire surface using radar. Has impact craters, but fewer than the moon, mercury, or mars. Entire surface seems to have been repaved 750 million years ago. Venus express mission saw spots of increasing temperature that may be active lava flows. Fractured and contorted surface indicates there were once tectonic stresses. Venus does not appear to have plate tectonics now. Photos of rocks taken by landers show little erosion.
