Was Venus Once Like Earth?
2002-05-08
Although Earth and Venus are very similar in size, mass and density, Venus is covered in a thick layer of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid that traps heat in and leads to extreme warming, which has made the planet much hotter. Average temperatures on Venus average about 800 degrees Fahrenheit. These inferno-like conditions have led some to call it “Earth’s evil twin.”
“Venus and Earth have taken different paths,” says Larry Esposito, a planetary astronomer at the University of Colorado. “But human activity is leading Earth in the same direction [as Venus]. If we can understand Venus history better, we can fine tune our models for Earth.”
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