The Secret of Venus's Climate: How a Planet with Oceans Turned into Hell

Venus, despite being farther from the Sun, is the hottest planet due to its dense CO2 atmosphere creating a greenhouse effect. Mercury, lacking an atmosphere, has extreme temperature swings. About 4.5 billion years ago, Venus may have had oceans, but the Sun's increasing luminosity led to water evaporation and CO2 buildup, triggering an irreversible greenhouse effect. The article references Popular Science.

Contrary to intuition, Venus, located farther from the Sun than Mercury, is the hottest planet in the solar system. The reason is its dense atmosphere, composed of 96% carbon dioxide, which creates a powerful greenhouse effect. Mercury, devoid of an atmosphere, heats up to 430°C during the day and cools to -180°C at night. Venus, however, maintains a temperature of about 464°C both day and night. About 4.5 billion years ago, Venus likely had oceans and a tropical climate, but the Sun's increasing luminosity led to water evaporation and CO2 accumulation, triggering an irreversible greenhouse effect. Solar rays heat the surface, and CO2 absorbs infrared radiation, preventing heat from escaping into space. The article references Popular Science and mentions a previous piece on Mars's climate.