[For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts about Venus

the evening star (Venus)

When Venus appears bright in the western sky in the evening, it is called the “Evening Star.” Conversely, when it shines in the eastern sky in the early morning, it is called the “Morning Star.” Because Venus orbits closer to the Sun than Earth does, it does not appear in the sky at midnight. The best time to see the Evening Star is roughly from late January to mid-July. On a clear evening, why not take a look at the western sky?

5,832 hours

A day on Venus is the time it takes for Venus to complete one rotation, which is about 5,832 hours (approximately 243 days) in Earth time. Compared to Earth, Venus rotates very slowly, so while a day on Earth is 24 hours, on Venus it amounts to 5,832 hours.

sister planet(s)

Because Venus is very similar to Earth in size, mass, and composition, it is called Earth's sister planet. However, the atmospheric environments of Venus and Earth are completely different, so humans cannot live there as they do on Earth.

dawn

Akatsuki is a Venus probe launched by Japan’s JAXA in 2010. It was developed to observe Venus’s atmosphere and weather. Akatsuki is equipped with five cameras that image Venus’s atmosphere in infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light, as well as a radio oscillator for observing parameters such as temperature.

Soviet Union

The country that succeeded in landing a spacecraft on Venus was the Soviet Union. Despite Venus’s harsh environment, the probes of the Venera series managed to land and send photos and data back to Earth. However, it seems that the Venera 13 lander lasted only about 127 minutes after landing before being destroyed.

West

On planets like Earth and others besides Venus, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, because Venus rotates in the opposite direction to Earth, the Sun rises in the western sky and sets in the eastern sky. It seems that the reason Venus’s rotation is opposite to Earth’s has not yet been explained.

It evaporated due to rising temperatures and changes in the atmosphere.

There are no oceans on Venus today. However, based on the terrain and traces observed on Venus’s surface, it’s thought that ancient Venus may once have had oceans of water. Those oceans are believed to have evaporated long ago due to rising temperatures and changes in the planet’s atmosphere.