Venus Atmosphere Quiz: Sulfuric Acid Clouds and Crushing Heat

This Venus atmosphere quiz descends through the clouds of Earth's scorching twin. Play 10 interactive questions on an atmosphere mostly carbon dioxide, surface pressure about 90 times Earth's, temperatures near 465 C, a runaway greenhouse effect, clouds of sulfuric acid, winds that circle the planet in days, a slow backward spin, Soviet Venera landers and a mild layer high above the surface.

Start Venus Atmosphere Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Gas
What is Venus' atmosphere mostly made of?
Pressure
About how strong is surface pressure on Venus?
Hot
How hot is Venus' surface?
Why
Why is Venus so hot?
Clouds
What are Venus' clouds made of?
Winds
How fast do upper winds circle Venus?
Spin
How does Venus spin?
Landers
Which Soviet program landed probes on Venus?
Layer
Where is Venus' atmosphere most Earth-like?
Bright
Why does Venus shine so brightly in our sky?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is Venus' atmosphere mostly made of?
Answer: Carbon dioxide
It is very thick.
Q2: About how strong is surface pressure on Venus?
Answer: About 90 times Earth's
Like being deep underwater.
Q3: How hot is Venus' surface?
Answer: Around 465 C
It is the hottest planet.
Q4: Why is Venus so hot?
Answer: A runaway greenhouse effect
Heat cannot escape.
Q5: What are Venus' clouds made of?
Answer: Sulfuric acid droplets
They hide the surface.
Q6: How fast do upper winds circle Venus?
Answer: In about four days
This is called super-rotation.
Q7: How does Venus spin?
Answer: Slowly and backward
A day is longer than its year.
Q8: Which Soviet program landed probes on Venus?
Answer: Venera
They lasted only minutes to hours.
Q9: Where is Venus' atmosphere most Earth-like?
Answer: About 50 km above the surface
Pressure and temperature are mild there.
Q10: Why does Venus shine so brightly in our sky?
Answer: Its clouds reflect sunlight
It is called the morning or evening star.

A Toxic Greenhouse Next Door

Venus is similar in size to Earth but has a very different atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide and so thick that surface pressure is about 90 times Earth's. A runaway greenhouse effect traps heat, making the surface around 465 C, hot enough to melt lead and hotter than Mercury.

Thick clouds of sulfuric acid droplets hide the surface and reflect sunlight, making Venus shine brightly as the morning or evening star. The upper atmosphere races around the planet in about four days, called super-rotation, while the planet itself spins slowly and backward, so a day is longer than its year.

The Soviet Venera landers reached the surface and survived only minutes to hours. About 50 km up, pressure and temperature are fairly mild, leading some scientists to imagine floating research stations there. New missions are planned to study Venus' clouds and surface.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

What Venus' air is made of
Why it is so hot
What its clouds are
How it spins
Which probes landed

Did You Know?

Lightning may occur on Venus.
Radar mapped its surface through clouds.
Magellan mapped Venus in the 1990s.
Volcanoes cover much of Venus.
It is the brightest planet in our sky.