Episode 50: Venus

[Fraser]

Last week we talked about Mercury, so this week our planetary parade proceeds to Venus. It's the brightest object in the sky, the hottest object in the solar system, and it's probably one of the most deadly places to go and visit.

<strong><a href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/astronomycast/AstroCast-070820.mp3">Episode 50: Venus (13.4MB)</a></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />

Read the full blog entry

[EvilEye]

I listened albeit distracted...

Why is Venus retrograde in its rotation?

Is it a captured rogue planet? Or a lost moon? Or what?

[RUF]

WOW. 50 episodes.
Congrats on an excellent podcast.

[Lord Jubjub]

I listened albeit distracted...

Why is Venus retrograde in its rotation?

Is it a captured rogue planet? Or a lost moon? Or what?

They went through all the reasons and didn't have a definitive answer. I think they favored tidal effects of the sun.

[Yankee]

Hi! I'm new to the forums so if there's a better place to post this, someone please let me know.

Thanks also for a great podcast!

So if I understood Dr. Pamela's orientation correctly, there is a proper way for planets to spin (left, relatively speaking). Why is this the correct way? Is it because most of the other fashionable planets spin that way? Or is there an intrinsic quality of our solar system that produces a left spinning bias? Tidal force thingys perhaps? Does it have to do with the direction we orbit the sun?

Thanks again for producing such an engaging show.

[Lord Jubjub]

Yes, the spin of the planets should be in sync with their orbital direction because of the conservation of momentum of the original dust cloud.

[clint]

I was wondering if there is any interesting stuff in Venus' atmosphere for future human missions.

Would a space station around Venus be able to 'harvest' e.g. water or oxygen out of the upper layers?
Would there be anything else of interest?

[lpgeorge123]

Great show! This was one of my favorites I think. Venus is such a strange place.