El planet Venus It is one of the planets that does not have natural satellites. It is the second planet from the sun in our solar system and can be seen from our planet as a very bright object. It is known as the morning star planet because it appears as much as the evening star. It is located in the western position to appear. There are some theories about why Venus does not have satellites and that is why we are going to talk about the satellites of venus.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the satellites of venus and its secrets.
Characteristics of the planet Venus
First of all, it's important to understand some of this planet's characteristics before learning about the mysteries surrounding the fact that Venus has no satellites. Since ancient times, this planet was known as Hesperus when viewed from dusk. It also had another name, Lucifer, when viewed from dawn. We know that Venus It cannot be visible more than 3 hours before sunrise or 3 hours after sunset. The first astronomers who began to study Venus thought that it might be true that they were two completely separate celestial bodies.
This planet has different phases just like the moon if it is observed from a telescope. Each time Venus completes its pass to the maximum it can be seen with a smaller size since they are the side farthest from the sun. On the contrary, although it seems that it is not logical, the maximum level of brightness of this planet it is reached when it is in a growing phase. Furthermore, its phases and positions repeat over a period of about 1.6 years, making it a fascinating object of study for the scientific community.
Astronomers refer to this planet as Earth's sister planet. It's a planet very similar in size, mass, density, and volume. Scientists think that if Venus were the same distance from the sun as our planet, it could support life. However, being in a different region of the solar system, it has become a planet with very different conditions than ours. If you want to learn more about Venus's atmosphere, you can check out this article. article about its atmosphere.
Some curiosities
Among its main characteristics is that it has no oceans and no satellites. Satellites must be based on some theories, which we will discuss below. It is also surrounded by a very heavy atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide, thus eliminating the need for water vapor. The floating clouds that can be seen with more powerful telescopes are composed of sulfuric acid. Unlike our planet, we find an atmospheric pressure 92 times higherThis means that no human being can survive on the planet for even a minute.
One of the curiosities that concerns this planet is that it is known as the scorching planet. And the temperature on its surface is around 482 degreesThe temperature is caused by a significant greenhouse effect produced by its dense, heavy atmosphere. Unlike Earth, which has a greenhouse effect that helps foster pleasant temperatures, here it's exaggerated. All gases are trapped by its atmosphere and are unable to reach space. This makes Venus hotter than Mercury, even though it's closer to the sun.
A day on Venus is equivalent to 243 days on Earth and is longer than its entire year which lasts 225 days. That is, it takes longer to orbit around its axis than it does around the sun. A final curiosity is that if a person could live here, they would be able to see the sun rise in the west and set in the east. If you're interested in learning more about Mercury's characteristics, here's an article about it. curiosities of Mercury.
Satellites of Venus
There are numerous theories about Venus's satellites in the solar system. Although there are numerous moons in the solar system, from some without an atmosphere like the Moon to others with a fairly thick atmosphere like Titan, you can see that Venus has no satellitesWe know that Venus, along with Mercury, are the only planets in the solar system that don't have natural moons orbiting them. The reason for this is something that numerous scientists have sought throughout history.
It is here that astronomers consider certain possibilities that may explain why these two planets do not have moons. The first is that natural satellites were captured by the gravity of these planets when they passed close to them. This would be the case of the small moons of mars known as Phobos and DeimosAnother possible scenario is that the planet Venus survived a massive impact that ejected some of its material into space. This material would later form a satellite, as is the case with our moon.
Another theory about Venus's moons is that they may have formed alongside the planet through accretion of material left over during Venus's formation. Thus, the moons would be part of the planet as a whole.
Theories about the satellites of Venus
Considering some of the more chaotic and dynamic theories concerning the early solar system, we must know that there were thousands of small bodies orbiting between the orbits of different planets. This is where scientists were struck by the fact that Venus had no natural satellites. This raises the question of whether Venus could have had moons in the past. Some researchers presented research in which they could affirm that Venus could have suffered at least 2 large impacts by large bodies in the past that made their moons disappear.
Most likely, Venus may have had a small moon formed from the debris that was ejected from the planet after a large impact from a large body. Due to the forces of gravitation, the satellite was moving away until it was not influenced by the gravity of Venus. In this way, it's likely that the planet overcame a subsequent impact and reversed its rotation, causing the opposite effect. This caused the tidal effect to force Venus's satellites away from each other.
I hope this information helps you learn more about Venus's satellites and their absence.