Before comparing Earth to Venus, let’s delve into the characteristics that make our planet unique – its size, structure, and atmospheric conditions, among others.
Size and Structure
Earth, our home planet, is known as a terrestrial planet with a solid crust of rock and metal. It boasts a diameter of 12,742 kilometers (7,918 miles), placing it fifth in size among the eight planets in our solar system.
Layers of Earth
- Lithosphere: This rigid outer layer is a mosaic of tectonic plates, chiefly composed of silicate minerals.
- Asthenosphere: Beneath the lithosphere, this tensile region of the upper mantle is composed of semi-solid rock that allows plate movement.
- Outer Core: A liquid layer rich in iron and nickel; its movement generates Earth’s magnetic field.
- Inner Core: The innermost part of Earth, a solid sphere composed primarily of iron and nickel, with immense pressures and temperatures.
Related: How far away is Venus (and how long does it take to get there?)
Atmosphere Composition
Our atmosphere is a life-supporting blanket of gases, perfectly balanced to maintain and nurture life.
- Primary Gases: Dominated by nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), our atmosphere is also peppered with trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases.
- Trace Gases: Besides the main components, it contains gases like argon, neon, helium, and methane in minor concentrations.
Atmospheric Layers
- Troposphere: The lowest layer where all our weather happens, extending to about 8-15 km (5-9 miles) above the surface.
- Stratosphere: From 15-50 km (9-31 miles) above Earth, home to the ozone layer which protects us from solar ultraviolet radiation.
- Mesosphere: Between 50-85 km (31-53 miles), where shooting stars ignite as they clash with the atmosphere.
- Thermosphere: Extending from 85 up to 600 km (53-372 miles), where temperatures soar due to solar radiation absorption.
- Exosphere: The boundary of Earth’s atmosphere, leading into the vacuum of space, extends beyond the thermosphere.
Venus: An In-Depth Look
Venus, our sister planet, dazzles with its brightness in the sky and intrigues with its enigmatic conditions.
Size and Composition
Venus has a diameter of about 12,104 kilometers (7,521 miles), just slightly smaller than Earth. Its size earns it the title of the sixth-largest planet in the solar system.
Despite its similarity in size to Earth, Venus has a crushing atmosphere and is composed primarily of a rocky body with a metallic iron core, a molten rocky mantle, and a solid crust.
Atmosphere and Climate
The atmosphere of Venus is notoriously thick with clouds of sulfuric acid, making it an extreme example of the greenhouse effect, with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead—about 465°C (869°F).
- Troposphere: This dense layer extends up to 65 km (40 miles) and is where the thick clouds are located, creating an opaque layer that completely obscures the surface.
- Stratosphere: Above the troposphere, extending to about 90 km (56 miles), the air is clear of clouds but still composed of sulfuric acid haze.
- Thermosphere: The uppermost layer of the atmosphere where temperatures increase with altitude, reaching up to 250°C (482°F).
Venus’s surface is subject to a relentless greenhouse effect, with an atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide (96.5%) and nitrogen (3.5%), with traces of other gases.
Moons
Venus stands out in the solar system for having no natural satellites, a stark contrast to Earth’s Moon and many other planets with multiple moons.
Unique Features of Venus
- Surface Features: Venus features numerous volcanoes, towering mountain ranges, and vast plains covered by lava flows.
- Rotation: Venus has a peculiar rotation, spinning very slowly in the opposite direction to most planets, which means the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east on Venus.
- Surface Pressure and Temperature: With a surface pressure 92 times that of Earth’s and temperatures hot enough to melt lead, Venus is an extreme world, inhospitable to known forms of life.
- Volcanic Activity: Venus is home to the most volcanoes of any planet in our solar system, with over 1,600 major volcanoes and countless smaller ones, though it’s unclear how many are still active.
Comparing Earth and Venus
Earth and Venus are often called twins due to their similar size, but they are worlds apart regarding their environment and conditions.
How Big is Venus Compared to Earth?
- Diameter: Earth’s diameter stands at approximately 12,742 kilometers (7,918 miles), while Venus has a slightly smaller diameter of about 12,104 kilometers (7,521 miles), making it about 95% the size of Earth.
- Mass: Venus has a mass of about 81.5% that of Earth’s. Despite the similarities in size, this significant difference in mass indicates variations in composition and density.
Composition Differences
- Surface: Earth and Venus have solid surfaces, but where Earth has a dynamic crust with plate tectonics, Venus’s surface appears to be older and more static, with a tessellated pattern of tectonic areas, suggesting a different kind of surface motion.
- Core: While Earth has a differentiated iron core with a solid inner and a liquid outer layer, the exact state of Venus’s core is unknown due to the lack of a significant magnetic field, but it is believed to be at least partially liquid.
Atmospheric Differences
- Composition: Earth’s atmosphere is a life-supporting blanket of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), while Venus’s oppressive atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide (96.5%) with clouds of sulfuric acid.
- Pressure and Temperature: The surface pressure on Venus is a crushing 92 times that of Earth, and the surface temperature averages around 465°C (869°F), making it the hottest planet in the solar system.
- Clouds: Venus is shrouded in thick sulfuric acid clouds that reflect sunlight, contributing to its brightness as seen from Earth. Earth’s clouds are primarily water vapor and play a critical role in the planet’s water cycle and weather.
Both planets have an internal heat source and have experienced volcanic activity, but Venus lacks the plate tectonics that have shaped Earth’s surface over billions of years. These differences make Venus an extreme example of the greenhouse effect, offering valuable insights into climatic processes that can occur on rocky planets.