THIS planet is called 'Earth's Evil Twin'; 7 UNIQUE things to know
Our closest celestial neighbor shines brilliantly in the night sky, often mistaken for a star, yet beneath its dazzling glow lies a hostile world of extreme heat, thick clouds, and untold mysteries
The Evil Twin of Earth
Planet
This planet is often called Earth’s “evil twin” because of its similar size and structure but drastically different environment. It shines as the third brightest object in our sky, after the Sun and Moon, but its thick, heat-trapping atmosphere has made it the hottest planet, with surface temperatures high enough to melt lead.
Origin of the Name
Ancient civilizations named visible celestial objects after their gods. The Romans associated it with their goddess of love and beauty, while the Greeks knew her as Aphrodite. Interestingly, it is the only planet named after a female deity, and most of its surface features also carry female names, reflecting this heritage in astronomical tradition.
Possibility of Life
Scientists believe that about 50 kilometers above the surface, conditions may allow extremophile microbes to exist. Observations show unexplained dark streaks in its clouds, which absorb ultraviolet light. While many theories suggest dust, ice, or chemical compounds like iron chloride, some astrobiologists speculate they might even be microbial in nature.
Orbit, Rotation, and Perspective
It completes one orbit around the Sun in 225 Earth days but rotates extremely slowly, taking 243 Earth days for one spin. Its backward rotation makes the Sun rise in the west and set in the east. From Earth’s viewpoint, it shows phases like the Moon, which Galileo’s telescope observations once confirmed as proof of the Sun-centered solar system.
Moons and Zoozve
This planet has no natural moon but does have a quasi-satellite named Zoozve, first detected in 2002. Astronomers realized it was a rare case of a companion object orbiting the Sun while staying near it. The name “Zoozve” emerged accidentally from a child’s misreading of its provisional code, and it was officially approved in 2024 by the International Astronomical Union.
Harsh Surface and Volcanism
The surface is young and volcanic, with mountains, vast plains, and unusual dome-shaped features. Soviet Venera probes briefly survived there, revealing a rocky, dim, and sulfur-yellow landscape. Vast volcanic regions such as Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra dominate its terrain, while towering mountains and pancake-like domes showcase violent geological forces.
Atmosphere and Magnetic Field
The Planet is Venus, the second planet in our solar system. It has a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, filled with sulfuric acid clouds, that traps immense heat through a runaway greenhouse effect. Unlike Earth, it lacks a self-generated magnetic field. Instead, the solar wind interacting with its ionosphere produces an induced magnetic shield, stretching like a comet’s tail. This fragile barrier illustrates Venus’ vulnerability to solar radiation.
