Shrouded by the thick clouds of hot, dense atmosphere, the planet Venus - Earth's closest neighbour in space - remained mysterious until recent decades. Today, with data from contemporary observations and from Russian and American spacecraft, Venus has moved into sharper focus. This comprehensive book provides an up-to-date and detailed analysis of the nature of Venus. The authors, experts in planetary science from Russia and the United States, examine all the principal aspects of Venus, with particular attention paid to the planet's formation, the development of a runaway greenhouse effect, and Venus' evolution into a planet completely different from others in our solar system. Integrating data from Galileo, Magellan, Pioneer-Venus, Venera sand other space missions, this book summarizes the history of Venus, covers the atmosphere, geomorphology and tectonic history of the planet, and considers its geology. The authors offer various theories to explain evolutionary processes in the solar system and to unveil such mysteries as Venus' slow retrograde rotation, its lack of magnetic field, and and its bizarre atmospheric dynamics.
Illustrations include images of Venus' surface, some of which were obtained by Soviet spacecraft.
- ISBN10 0300049757
- ISBN13 9780300049756
- Publish Date 11 October 1998
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 2 July 2013
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Yale University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 456
- Language English