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Venus is the second closest planet to the Sun, but its surface is as hot or hotter than Mercury, which is even closer. The reason for this is that the thick atmosphere of Venus, while reflecting more than 60% of the sunlight that reaches it, also prevents infrared radiation (heat) from leaving.

This "greenhouse effect" traps heat in the atmosphere, increasing the planet-wide temperature of Venus to about 460°C (860°F), even at the poles and even at night. This is higher than the melting points of lead and zinc.

Most of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, with about 3% nitrogen. The upper clouds on Venus are mostly sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid.

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14y ago

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