On Tuesday night, Venus is shining near the well-known Pleiades star cluster in western skies.
Many astronomy books refer to Venus as Earth’s “twin sister,” since the two planets have nearly the same size and mass. In terms of diameter, Venus is about 300 miles (483 kilometers) smaller than Earth, and the gravity at its surface is 85 percent that of the Earth’s surface.
But that’s where the similarities end.
The atmosphere of Venus is very thick and far greater in density than ours. Most of Venus’ atmosphere is carbon dioxide, along with surface temperatures that are extremely hot; on the order of 860 degrees Fahrenheit (460 degrees Celsius). This high temperature is caused by the trapping of radiation by the lower atmosphere of the planet — a sort of runaway greenhouse effect.
Earth’s sister meets the Seven Sisters
While our “sister world” Venus has attracted a lot of attention from its recent displays with Jupiter and a lovely crescent moon, on Tuesday night it’s having a rendezvous with another noteworthy celestial landmark, popularly known as the “Seven Sisters” or the Pleiades.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46907441/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.T3vumfAtgkk
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