Are you curious to know how long would it take to go to Venus? It could take around 4 to 6 months to reach Venus from Earth. But there are some criteria. Well, we appreciate your curiosity. Because not everyone has the time to think beyond earth.
Venus is the 2nd planet from the Sun. Many astronomers say that Venus is the sister planet of the Earth. It is because of their identical size and similar rocky surface. But no life exists there because of its melting temperature and horrible atmosphere.
There are some important calculative decisions that you must know before thinking of a journey to our close planets. Through this article, you are going to know what these criteria are and how long it takes to reach Venus.
How long would it take to go to Venus?
So Venus is one of the closest planets to Earth. Even then it takes a long time to reach there.
Till now the recorded shortest time to get to Venus is 109 days. But on average we can say it will take 120 to 130 days. Now there are two main facts. They are speed and distance.
Depending on them a spacecraft can take months to years to reach Venus. The spaceship took the highest time which was 198 days.
As we said, the faster spaceship will take less time. That’s kind of true. But here the other fact is more important. That is the distance. You know planets never stay in a line. They always circle around the Sun. So whenever Venus comes closest to the earth in a circular motion, that’s the lowest distance and perfect time to launch a spaceship.
This phenomenon is so rare. For this reason, scientists have to wait for a long time to get the shortest distance. That can be a year long. So if you have a fairly fast rocket and you have an accurate calculation of the shortest distance, Your ship will reach Venus in 120 days or less.
How long would it take to get to Venus at the speed of light?
Venus and Earth both constantly keep running in their orbit. As the distance varies, light takes 2 minutes and 14 seconds to reach Earth from Venus when the distance is minimum. Depending on orbital distance, light can take a maximum of 14 minutes and 29 seconds.
Is Venus the closest planet to Earth?
Normally the pictures you see in books or papers demonstrate just an idea of the solar system. There you will clearly see that either Venus or Mars is the closest planet. But the reality will surprise you. Mars is not our closest planet. There is an asteroid belt between Mars and Earth. Besides that, Mars’s orbit is way far from Earth than Venus.
But that doesn’t make Venus the closest planet. Basically, Mercury’s orbit is the smallest among all. So it needs to travel a short distance every time it circles around the sun. Here Venus’s orbit is larger and it needs to travel long distances. So in a circular motion, it goes far away from Earth for a long time. But yes, it comes closest to Earth after a long run and just for a short period of time.
Well, most of the time Mercury stays around for its small orbit. So Mercury is mostly the closest planet to earth. Isn’t it astonishing? A proper simulation of the solar system could help you to understand this surprising fact better.
Can you ever land on Venus?
If you don’t know, let us inform you that Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. You may have a question, why Venus? Mercury should be the hottest. Because it is the nearest planet to the Sun. However, both of them are rocky planets. But the difference is made by the atmosphere of Venus.
Mercury has no atmosphere. So it can not absorb the total heat and reflects the heat into space. On the other hand, Venus has a thick atmosphere of Carbon-di-oxide. This thick atmosphere absorbs all the heat it gets from the Sun. So a never-ending greenhouse effect makes Venus a hellish planet.
A cloud of sulfuric acid and 847 degrees Fahrenheit of surface temperature will melt any living body instantly. So you can never land on Venus. You will never want to open your umbrella in sulfuric acid rain.
How far is Venus from Earth now?
The distance between two planets changes every second. Because every object in space is always in motion. But when it’s closest, the measured distance is 25 million miles from Earth. In Kilometers, Venus is 40 million KM far away. Surprisingly at that distance, it is our closest planet.
Summary
You know out of the earth all rules change. Celestial bodies never follow the rules of the regular physics we know. Keeping knowledge is one thing. But no human can actually land their feet on Venus. Finally, you know how long would it take to go to Venus. However, outer space is interesting.
Stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and all other space objects are full of wonders. They are hiding lots of secrets inside. Hopefully one day we humans will get some clue about the beginning of this universe. The James Webb space telescope is already promising to take us closer to this mystery.
To find these answers curious minds like you are really important. Because all new discoveries come from those who think differently.