Secrets of Venus. Venus - the mysteries of the surface or is there life on Venus Mysteries of Venus

Venus Did you know that Venus was originally considered in Roman mythology as the goddess of flowering gardens, spring, fertility, growth and flowering of all the fruitful forces of nature. A little later, Venus became identified with the Greek Aphrodite. In this regard, since

Venus is a planet forgotten by us, which is finally remembered. The people were too carried away by Mars and its mysteries, leaving the riddles of the Morning Star for later. The Venus Express space mission is an attempt to unravel the mysteries of the planet after more than 10 years of oblivion. But, as expected, these mysteries were not so much dealt with as they stumbled upon new mysteries.

There are two reasons why, of all the terrestrial planets, Venus continues to be the focus of researchers' attention. First, as the closest analogue of the Earth, it can be considered as one of its limiting models; secondly, Venus can serve as a unique testing ground for experiments on active influence on climate processes on a global scale. A purely terrestrial, utilitarian problem is directly related to Venus - to find the limits of regulation in natural-climatic mechanisms and relationships, beyond which the continuously expanding anthropogenic impacts on the climate could turn out to be irreversible. Naturally, the question of what led to the development of such specific natural conditions on Venus comes to the fore. Were they predetermined by the natural nature of the primary fractionation of the substance of the interior of Venus or by subsequent evolution, due to the proximity of the planet to the Sun?

Venus has been known to science since prehistoric times. It is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. Among the countless myriads twinkling in the night sky, no star shines so amazingly as the planet Venus, even Sirius-Sothis, the dog-star, is inferior to her. Venus is the queen among our planets, the crown jewel of our solar system. “Light-bearing” Venus (also Aphrodite in the Greek tradition) appeared on the horizon in the pre-dawn hour, foreshadowing the imminent light of a white day. In the sky, Venus in its mysterious, alluring brilliance appears before the earthly observer either in the evening or in the morning, and in ancient times people took it for two stars: evening - Vesper and morning - Lucifer. However, already the ancient Greek scientist Pythagoras knew that in reality it was one star. Later, this star was given the name of the goddess of love and beauty - Venus, who embodied the image of a beautiful woman. Venus was the patroness of flowering gardens, the goddess of spring, fertility, growth and flowering of all the fruitful forces of nature.

VENUS IN MYTHS AND LEGEND OF ANCIENT

Mythological knowledge will always come in handy, because Greek and Roman mythology has entered modern life, and every cultured person needs to get acquainted with it:

Many expressions from ancient mythology are still found today: “Sisyphean labor”, “Ariadne's thread”, “apple of discord”, “Trojan horse”, etc.;

Architects resort to the symbolism of myths - over the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Pushkin Drama Theater in St. Petersburg, quadrigas with a bronze Apollo, the patron of the arts, rush; mighty Atlanteans support the portico of the Hermitage;

The gods and heroes of ancient Greece and Rome are reminded by the marble statues of the Summer Garden, Peterhof Park, the estate in Arkhangelsk and other museums of the world;

The names of some months (January, March, May, June) are reminiscent of the Roman gods - Janus, Mars, Maya, Juno;

The names of mythological characters are the planets of the solar system:

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto;

The best paintings, which are kept in art galleries, museums, private collections and are the property of civilization, are written on mythological subjects.

The Birth of Venus, William Adolphe Bougereau

To understand the plots and meaning of works of art, the museum visitor must be familiar with the basics of ancient mythology. Without familiarizing yourself with the ancient myths, it is impossible even to read the works of the great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin, where such expressions as “Parnassus shine on the heights”, “On the light games of Terpsichore”, “The charming minion of Cyprida”, “Centaur avenging gift” are mentioned , "A gift of Bacchus dear", "Flies like fluff from the mouth of Eol", "like a windy Venus".

Venus in Roman mythology was originally the goddess of spring and gardens, perhaps the personification of the concept of venia - the grace of the gods. Due to the popularity of the legend about Aeneas, she became identified with his legendary mother, Aphrodite, as the goddess of love and beauty, was especially revered as the patroness of Aeneas's descendants - the Romans. According to her famous temple in Sicily on Mount Eryx, she bore the epithet Erucina. Gaius Julius Caesar revered her as the progenitor of the Julius family (Genetrix). In literature, first of all - the goddess of love passion, the mother of Cupid. In late Rome, her cult merges with the orgiastic cults of Astarte, Isis, Cybele, and others. In connection with the cult of Attis, the veneration of the dying and resurrecting beloved of Venus, Adonis, becomes especially popular. The cult of Venus reached its apotheosis of popularity in the 1st century BC. e. when the famous senator Sulla, who believed that the goddess brings him happiness, and Gaius Pompey, who built a temple and dedicated it to Venus the victor, began to count on her patronage.

Venus was awarded such epithets as merciful, cleansing, shorn, in memory of the courageous Roman women who, during the war with the Gauls, cut their hair in order to weave ropes out of them. In literary works, Venus acted as the goddess of love and passion, among the Greeks - Aphrodite; among the Babylonians - Ishtar. The name of the planet comes, apparently, from the fact that Venus is the brightest of the planets known to the ancients. To designate the Sun, Moon and planets, astronomers use signs of very ancient origin. The sign of Venus is the image of a hand mirror - the emblem of femininity and beauty: ♀.

BEAUTY VENUS IMITATES CINTHIA.

Venus is the closest planet to us. By observing Venus, scientists have found that it moves around the Sun in an almost circular orbit at an average distance from it of 108 million kilometers. The period of the orbital motion of Venus (Venusian year) is equal to 224.7 Earth days. It is now known that Venus rotates around its axis in the opposite direction - from east to west, and not from west to east, like the Earth and most other planets. The consequence of this is that the Sun rises and sets twice on the planet's horizon during the Venusian year. To an observer on the surface of Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east, although in reality the cloudy atmosphere completely covers the sky. This is one of the mysteries of Venus. The unusual rotation of Venus is that it is very slow (one Venusian day is equal to 243 Earth days, which is slightly longer than the Venusian year). In addition, the orbital and daily periods of rotation of Venus are synchronized in such a way that it always turns the same side to the Earth when the planets are at a minimum distance from each other. We do not know if this is due to resonance or a coincidence - this is also the mystery of Venus. In its orbital motion, it periodically occupies two diametrically opposite positions relative to the Sun and the Earth, called the lower conjunction, when Venus is between the Sun and the Earth, and the upper conjunction, when the Sun is between the Earth and Venus. The mutual position of the Earth, Venus and the Sun in inferior conjunction, when they are located on the same straight line, is called the phenomenon of the passage of Venus through the disk of the Sun (transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun) - (APPENDIX). This picture can be observed even with the naked eye. However, not everyone can become a witness of this phenomenon, since the frequency of the passage of Venus is 8 and 105.5; 8 and 121.5 years. In the last century, this phenomenon was observed on December 9, 1874 and December 8, 1882. And only on June 8, 2004 and June 6, 2012 it will happen again.

Venus is visible to the naked eye and you can observe the change in its phases. In 1610, the Italian astronomer Galileo, observing Venus through a spyglass, first discovered and described a sequential change in its phases, similar to the Moon. He was not at first sure of the correctness of his observation and did not dare to report it openly. Therefore, Galileo encrypted the message of his discovery into a Latin anagram phrase, and only later, finally convinced of the correctness of his assumption, did he decipher it, rearranging the letters in it: “The mother of love imitates the views of Cynthia.” The mother of love is the goddess Venus, and Cynthia is one of the ancient names for the moon. Galileo's observation of this phenomenon was an important proof of Copernicus' well-known heliocentric theory of the solar system.

In lower conjunction, when Venus is at its closest distance from the Earth, it always faces us with its unlit side, and therefore its largest phase is completely invisible to us. Departing from this position of "new Venus", the planet takes the form of a sickle, the diameter of which is the smaller, the wider the sickle. They say that the famous mathematician K. Gauss, once observing Venus through a telescope on a balcony, called his elderly mother, hoping to amaze her with the appearance of the phases of the planet. To his surprise, his mother, clinging to the eyepiece and not at all surprised, asked only why the "horns" of the sickle were turned in the wrong direction. As it turned out, the woman had seen Venus all her life in the form of a crescent (and the telescope, as you know, gives an inverted image)! So, everyone, having checked the conditions of visibility of the planets, can check their vision during periods when Venus has a small crescent phase (near the lower conjunction with the Sun). But we warn you: this test is very tough, if you don’t see a sickle - better take binoculars, at least theatrical ones!

ATMOSPHERE OF THE PLANET: HISTORY OF DISCOVERY.

This planet is one of the most beautiful luminaries in the sky. During periods of favorable visibility of the planet, it is impossible to confuse it in the sky with anything because of its great brightness (astronomers say - "brilliance"). Perhaps only against the background of dawn - with Jupiter, and even then, perhaps for the first time, since the difference in the color of the luminaries is significant. Jupiter has a distinct yellowish hue, while Venus appears completely white to most observers. Venus is sometimes called one of the most mysterious planets in the solar system: a dense cloud cover envelops its surface. The atmosphere on Venus was first discovered by M. B. Lomonosov. In 1761, the first Russian academician Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, observing Venus at the time of its passage across the solar disk, first discovered a powerful atmosphere near the planet, as described in his work “The phenomenon of Venus on the Sun observed at the St. Petersburg Imperial Mayan Academy of Sciences on the 26th day of 1761 ”Wrote: “According to these notes, Mr. Councilor Lomonosov argues that the planet Venus is surrounded by a noble airy atmosphere, such [if only not more] than it pours around our globe of the earth.” This phenomenon is later, already in the twentieth century. , was called the Lomonosov phenomenon. The atmosphere of Venus turned out to be so “noble” that even modern powerful optical telescopes are unable to look behind its dense cloudy curtain, which, like the veil of an oriental beauty, hides its appearance from us.

But what does the atmosphere of Venus consist of and what are its clouds, which, reflecting sunlight well, make this planet the brightest luminary in the sky (of course, except for the Sun and Moon)? These questions remained unanswered for a long time. On Venus, the pressure of the atmosphere on the surface reaches 90 atmospheres (i.e., the same as the pressure in the oceans of the Earth at a depth of 1 km). The atmosphere of the planet consists mainly of carbon dioxide, dust and acid vapors. It is impossible to see the surface of Venus, since it is covered with an impenetrable many-kilometer veil of clouds. Due to such a dense atmosphere, an extremely powerful greenhouse effect operates on the planet, as a result of which the surface temperature of Venus rises from 400K to 740K (the melting point of lead). The gaseous envelope of Venus is a giant greenhouse. It is able to let in solar heat, but does not let it out, absorbs the radiation of the planet itself. Absorbers are carbon dioxide and droplets of concentrated (75-80%) sulfuric acid. A few years ago, French scientists discovered traces of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid vapors and even carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of Venus. The presence of these substances could indicate active volcanic activity. The continuous cloudiness and proximity of Venus to the Sun suggested to scientists that the climatic conditions on this planet are similar to those that were on Earth during the Carboniferous period of its history. Then, under the clouds in the humid atmosphere of the Earth, a greenhouse, hothouse climate was created and powerful vegetation rapidly developed. Measurements of radio emissions from Venus carried out in recent years have dealt a severe blow to these ideas. Repeated many times, they said that the physical conditions on this planet are completely unsuitable for life. It is prohibitively hot there: it is hotter on Venus than on Mercury, despite the fact that it is almost twice as far from the Sun. The dense cloud cover is highly reflective (which explains the brightness of Venus) and poorly transmits solar thermal radiation.

However, there is a hypothesis according to which the lower part of the Venusian atmosphere up to 20 kilometers high is filled with dust particles. And since the clouds are white, this hypothesis suggests that the dust is a white powder of carbonates (calcium and magnesium). Venus probably once had large water reserves, just like Earth, but all the water has evaporated and Venus is now completely dry. The Earth would have met the same fate if it had been a little closer to the Sun. We can learn a lot about the Earth by trying to understand why Venus, which was similar in basic parameters, became completely different.

So, the landscape of Venus appears before us inhospitable, unattractive: there is no water on the surface - all the moisture is in a heavy and thick atmosphere saturated with carbon dioxide, almost devoid of oxygen. The sun and stars are hidden by dense clouds. There is neither winter nor summer: quiet, dark, hot.

SURFACE AND RELIEF OF VENUS.

No details on the surface of Venus are visible even in the largest telescopes. The atmosphere of the planet is so dense that even from spacecraft only the movement of large clouds is noticeable. The relief of the planet consists of vast plains intersected by mountain ranges and plateau-type elevations. The mountainous regions look like earthly continents. The two "continents" of Venus - the Land of Ishtar and the Land of Aphrodite - are comparable in area to the continental United States. The land of Ishtar is distinguished by the Maxwell mountains, which rise 11 km above the average level, i.e. they are higher than the earthly Everest. Along the eastern edge of Aphrodite's Land, two rift valleys extend for 2200 km, located below the average level of the Venusian surface. The Beta mountain region consists of two huge shield-shaped volcanoes, similar to the volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. They, like their terrestrial counterparts, rise to 4000 m, but are much larger in area. Lowlands, similar to the ocean basins of the Earth, occupy only a sixth of the planet's surface. There are also impact craters on Venus, similar to those on the moon. For large meteorites, asteroids and comet nuclei, even a dense atmosphere is not an obstacle. On satellite images, it was possible to see some unexpected aspects of the process of formation of impact craters under the conditions of Venus. It turned out that some of the ejecta from many craters conducts as a liquid substance, forming, usually directed in one direction from the crater, extensive streams tens of kilometers long, and sometimes more. It is not clear that this is a flowing superheated impact melt or a suspension of fine-grained solid matter and melt droplets suspended in a dense (65 kg/m3) gas of the near-surface atmosphere.

Data from the radar of the Magellan spacecraft shows that most of the surface of Venus is covered with lava flows. The volcanism of Venus indicates the activity of its bowels. However, manifestations of this activity are not of a global nature. On Venus, liquid mantle flows are blocked by thick basaltic crust and most of them do not reach the surface. Venus should have a liquid iron core, but there is no movement of matter - there is no movement of charged particles, that is, no electric current, which means that the planet's own magnetic field should not arise. However, the results of space research bring a new unexpected look at this problem. Although Venus does not have a magnetic field of its own, the interplanetary magnetic field carried by the solar wind creates an "envelope" around it and prevents this wind from penetrating deep into the atmosphere. Measurements made with the MAG magnetometer showed that the field "wraps" around the day side of the atmosphere and "bends" to the night side, and the field configuration there is such that it most likely contributes to plasma acceleration. And this leads to the loss of atmospheric ions. For the first time it was possible to conduct direct observations of the plasma environment of the planet during the minimum of solar activity. The picture of interaction with the solar wind that scientists saw is very different from the observations already made at solar maximum. With a few exceptions, all the details of the landscape on Venus are named after women.

There are old volcanoes on Venus, but whether there are active ones is unknown. But volcanism, according to one version, is the reason for the highest concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and, consequently, the greenhouse effect. The lower atmosphere, which consists mainly of carbon dioxide, is so thick that it is only slightly inferior to water in areas - it is a hot bare rocky desert, on others - mountains, craters, stones, giant cracks. Dense multi-kilometer clouds of sulfuric acid mixed with chlorine and fluorine compounds, making the planet shining when viewed from the outside, and twilight when viewed from the observer's surface. Hot and dry stony valleys, ancient volcanoes, mountain peaks covered with metal "frost". Needless to say, Venus is a very exotic place. But there is reason to believe that in the distant past, there could have been enough water on Venus for the origin of life.

"Venus is more like Earth than Mars," says David Grinspoon, a space scientist at the Boulder Research Institute in Colorado and another prominent proponent of the thesis that Venus's acid clouds could contain droplets with life. Moreover, many newly discovered exoplanets will probably resemble Venus. We must carefully study our nearest neighbor. "

SPACE VEHICLES PENETrate THE MYSTERIES OF VENUS.

The study of Venus with the help of spacecraft began in our country back in the 60s with attempts to deliver a research probe to this planet and make measurements in its atmosphere and on the surface. In 1961, the first space robots of our country were sent to the planet: "Venus-1, - 2". In 1962, the Mariner-2 spacecraft visited Venus. In total, Venus was explored by more than 20 spacecraft, and the first interplanetary stations "Venus - 9, - 10", which landed on another planet and received the first photographs of its surface. In the images of Venera-15, -16, extended cracks of unknown origin were found. It remains a mystery what fluid cut through these channels. The easiest way would be to assume that they are the result of thermal erosion by the current flow of basaltic lava. But calculations show that on a path 7000 km long, the basalt lava flow will not have enough heat reserves to flow non-stop and melt the substance of the basalt plain, cutting a channel in it. Most likely these are exotic liquids like molten sulfur carbonates.

An important stage in space research is the exploration of the planet by the Venus Express spacecraft launched on November 9, 2005 from the Baikonur cosmodrome. The flight to Venus lasted 155 days. The duration of the main mission was 500 Earth (slightly more than two Venusian) days. The planet's atmosphere became the main object of study for the ʺVenus Expressʺ instruments, since it is precisely this that is the key to understanding the mysteries of Venus. In March 2007, the Venus Express mission was extended until May 2009 for two more Venusian days. Most likely, the probe will carry out its scientific mission further - it will have enough fuel resources until 2013. Other space stations will soon join it: in 2010, the Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter should arrive at Venus. By comparing the data obtained by both missions, more information about the Morning Star can be obtained.

The European interplanetary station ʺVenus Expressʺ received new data describing the dynamics of clouds on Venus. The planet was found to have a weak magnetic field, similar to the Earth's magnetic field, but much smaller. On November 28, 2007, at a press conference at the headquarters of the European Space Agency (ESA), the results of the main mission of the European interplanetary probe were officially presented. The apparatus detected a bright, uniform haze rich in sulfuric acid. It is formed when, through an unknown process, water vapor and sulfur dioxide rise from the lower layers into the upper atmosphere of Venus. There, under the action of sunlight, these molecules break down, and then some of them recombine, forming volatile sulfuric acid. ʺVenus Expressʺ also discovered new details on the day side of the planet. When solar heat is absorbed in the atmosphere, "gas pockets" or "convection cells" are formed. You can compare this process to boiling milk in a saucepan. The entire illuminated side of Venus seems to be "boiling". In the process of observations, another mysterious phenomenon was discovered associated with the glow of haze in the upper layers of the Venusian atmosphere. Haze consists of aerosol particles that reflect sunlight well. On January 13, 2007, two-thirds of the planet's southern hemisphere suddenly shone brightly, as if a very intense formation of fog particles had occurred. The mechanism of this phenomenon is still unclear. The glow disappeared just as suddenly a few days later, when the aerosols coagulated ("precipitated") and the haze cleared.

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF VENUS.

Venus has actually flooded us with information. Today, the most striking achievement is the discovery of lightning on Venus. So far, lightning has only been seen on Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. Lightning was detected by the magnetic signals accompanying electrical discharges. They raged under the spacecraft. Lightning was special, they break out in clouds consisting not of water, but of sulfuric acid - another touch to the completely non-resort landscapes of Venus. Lightning is one mystery of the evolution of the planet. They affect the chemical processes in the atmosphere. So on Earth, for example, nitric acid is formed. Attempts will be made to detect "thunderstorm" nitrogen oxides in the Venusian atmosphere as well. The processes taking place in the atmosphere of Venus sometimes simply defy any explanation. For example, "superrotation" is a mysterious phenomenon of the Venusian atmosphere, causing it to rush over the surface of the planet 20 times faster than it rotates around its axis. Where does this terrible, never-ending hurricane get its energy from, why it is not slowed down by the surface - this is another mystery. Why did an acid haze spread over Venus?

There is a lot of data about breaks and folds on the surface of Venus. A growing number of astronomers are inclined to think that real oceans could exist on Venus. The greenhouse effect in the early stages of the planet's existence could be inhibited by intense cloud formation. It is possible that life could have originated on Venus during this time. But it has no water. She once was, but almost all boiled away.

In the light of modern research, it can be said that ancient legends and myths carried traces of real events. In the memory of mankind, a catastrophe occurred on Venus. The writer-encyclopedist Varro, who lived in 116-27 BC. e. , reports that during the flood, Venus changed its color, size and shape. Scientific facts about Venus can confirm the stated version. In particular, the presence of a paradoxically slow rotation of Venus around its own axis: in the opposite direction compared to other planets. This allows us to explain the fact that the pyramid of Cheops was dedicated to her.

But the unsolved mysteries of the planet remain, which will allow us to better understand the fate of the Earth.

Venus enters the sky just after sunset, when it is still light, and floats in the rays of the evening dawn. Or in the morning, when all the stars go out, she alone continues to shine for a long time and remains in the sky until the very sunrise. Therefore, in the old days, she was perceived as two different luminaries, similar to each other: the morning Venus bore the name Vesper (Phosphorus, Hesperus), and the evening - Lucifer. Its mysterious brilliance inspired poets. “Golden Vesper walks in the blue sky field” - this is how A. S. Pushkin wrote about Venus.

There is probably no other such planet that would have so many names and titles. In Russia, she was called Dennitsa, like the morning dawn. Among the astronomers of Ancient Hellas, she bore the name of Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty, who could pacify even the rude aggressive Ares (Mars) - the god of war. The Romans called this goddess and planet Venus. Among the Turkic peoples, the beauty - the planet bears the female name Chulpan, from which, perhaps, the name of the flower "tulip" came from. In more ancient times, its light evoked in the minds of people the images of Ishtar, Astarte, Isis - female deities who personified love and beauty. The beautiful brilliance of Venus has long misled scientists, science fiction writers, and poets. On the distant star Venus

The sun is fiery and golden. On Venus, ah on Venus

The trees have blue castings. Everywhere free sonorous waters,

Rivers, geysers, waterfalls Sing the song of freedom at noon,

At night they burn like lamps. (N. S. Gumilyov).

In "Planet of Storms" - a fantastic story by Alexander Kazantsev - Venus looks like a young planet, similar to the Earth in the era of the dinosaurs. The colonization of Venus by people devoted their writings to English and American science fiction writers. J. Adamaschi wrote how the crew of the "flying saucer" took him to Venus and back. Everyone wanted to have at least some life on the neighboring planet, so “like” to Earth. Venusian euphoria continued until the first launches of space rockets with research equipment. As shown by the results of space research, Venus is a very inhospitable planet.

The astronomical symbol of this planet is represented as a ball hovering over a cross.

The landscape is very unattractive, as is the landscape of the greenhouse model:

Venus, characterized by Pythagoras as the sol alter, the second Sun, because of her majestic radiance - which is unparalleled in any of the celestial bodies - was the first to attract the attention of ancient cosmogonists. Therefore, various myths about the mysterious planet were created.

THE TRAGEDY OF THE PLANET VENUS, IMPRESSED IN THE PYRAMIDS.

Ancient Egyptian legends and myths tell that the beginning of their history goes back to a fantastic time when the gods lived on earth with people. They were the gods Osiris, Set and the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis formed a married couple and became the first rulers of Egypt. Isis gave birth to one son Horus (Horus), who after the death of Osiris became the first pharaoh. The race of gods, according to legend, ruled Egypt for many millennia. This time in myths was called the "Golden Age". In the chronology of the dynasties of kings, the Egyptians included not only all the pharaohs of the historical period (lasting about 3000 years), but also for good reason mentioned a fantastic era in which gods and demigods ruled Egypt, and the last of them was the god Horus. For example, according to the chronology of the Egyptian priest Manetho, the total age of Egypt was 30 thousand years. The Egyptians claimed that the gods built the pyramids at Giza during the Golden Age. This idea was later adopted by the Greeks, who believed that Hermes (aka the god Thoth) built the pyramids. When Egypt was ruled by human kings, each pharaoh who ascended the throne was given the name Horus, which personified the divine legacy of power. The pharaoh was considered a living image of the god Horus.

The Space Legends of the East say that people lived on Venus who were ahead of the humanity of the Earth by a whole step. They appeared on Earth as teachers of young humanity and were remembered by earthlings in the form of gods who came from heaven, who at a certain time lived on Earth together with people in the era of the "Golden Age".

The Polish researcher of the Egyptian pyramids V. Zamarovsky, in his book "Their Majesties the Pyramids", noticed an oddity in the location of the small pyramids near the pyramid of Cheops. and Mikerin. The companion pyramids of the tomb of Menkaure are completely different in style. Following the cosmic version, it is logical to assume that the small pyramids depicted the satellites of the corresponding planets: Earth, Mars, Venus. For the Earth, there will be complete agreement with this version: near the tomb of Khafre there is one small pyramid, symbolizing the Moon. In this case, Mars in that era had three satellites instead of the present two: Phobos and Deimos; Venus also had three satellites. Since Venus currently does not have a satellite, it can be assumed that a catastrophe occurred in those distant times. The nature of the catastrophe can be interpreted in such a way that by the time fixed by the plan of the pyramids, the satellite system of Venus had disintegrated. This is what led to a change in the color, shape and size of the "star" Venus, observed from Earth.

The mutual position of the satellite pyramids and their main pyramids from the side of the Center:

1 - the pyramid of Menkaur; 2 - Khafre; 3 - Khufu

At the same time, the mass of the planetary-satellite system of Venus decreased by 32%. In accordance with what has been said, this mass has been redistributed in the solar system. One satellite could turn into a new planet Mercury, another could lose its orbital angular momentum during a catastrophe and was absorbed by the Sun, and the third satellite, having received additional energy, could be thrown into a higher orbit, for example, into the orbit of the asteroid belt.

Checking the relationship between the volumes of the pyramids and the masses of the corresponding planets, we arrive at the following data. The ratio of the volumes of the pyramids of Menkaur and Khafre is 0.117, which is very close to the ratio of the masses of the planets Mars and Earth, equal to 0.11. The ratio of the volumes of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre is 1.19, which contradicts the ratio of the masses of Venus and the Earth, equal to 0.82. We come to the conclusion that as a result of the catastrophe, Venus should lose 32% of its mass, which looks very unrealistic in a very short time by astronomical standards. The collapse of the satellite system of Venus led to the death of the living conditions on the planet Venus. This can explain, in particular, the presence of a paradoxically slow rotation of Venus around its own axis: in the opposite direction compared to other planets and with the duration of its day, equal to 243 Earth days. Cosmogony cannot explain such an anomalous phenomenon on the basis of an evolutionary concept. Does this mean that Venus has experienced some kind of catastrophe in its history? According to Varro, the catastrophe also occurred on Earth in the form of the Great Flood, which swept away the specific results of this era, some memories remained in legends and myths. The cause of the flood must be sought after the collapse of the satellite system of Venus. The fall of one of the hypothetical satellites on the Sun (according to estimates, its mass was 2.5 times the mass of the planet Mercury) should cause a powerful burst of solar activity, and the interaction of the solar wind squall with the Earth's geomagnetic field generated a "magnetic shock" that provoked a global earthquake on Earth ending in a flood.

We come to the following conclusion, the astronomical plan of the pyramids reflected the time of the Great Flood on Earth, a phenomenon that was preceded by the catastrophe of Venus. Only this can explain the image of Venus on the plan in the past tense. As for Mars, this planet suffered a catastrophe later. This is evidenced by the absence at the present time of the third satellite of the "red planet".

The legends of the peoples of the East are consistent with the above conclusion (the book "Space Legends of the East", 1996). They say that people lived on Venus who were ahead of the humanity of the Earth by a whole step. They appeared on Earth as teachers of young humanity and were remembered by earthlings in the form of gods who came from heaven, who at a certain time lived on Earth together with people in the era of the "Golden Age".

In the light of the disclosed data, it can be said that ancient legends and myths carried traces of real events. The ancient gods must be aliens from a highly developed civilization from Venus. Thus, information is stored in the memory of mankind that a catastrophe occurred on Venus that destroyed it. Such a scenario of events makes it possible to explain the mystery of why the greatest pyramid, the pyramid of Cheops, is dedicated to Venus.

The grandiose earthquake and the great global flood destroyed and swept away almost all the buildings and achievements of the golden age, little evidence, legends and myths remained, reflecting the real events of antiquity. The complex of the majestic Egyptian pyramids in Giza with the legendary Sphinx is not only the tomb of the demigods-pharaohs, it is an undoubted evidence of an older time than the era of the Egyptian pharaohs. It is intended, according to a scientist from Ulyanovsk Evgeny Menshov, to perpetuate the memory of the disappeared Venusian civilization, to convey a message to earthlings about its history, development and causes of death. This is the oldest monument-warning of impending cosmic and planetary cataclysms. After all, the cause of the death of a highly developed civilization could not be a collision with a comet at all, but, for example, a man-made or environmental disaster. Earthlings have yet to finally understand the essence of the cosmic idea of ​​the Egyptian pyramids.

The following considerations speak in favor of this version. Firstly, the hypothesis that Mercury is a former satellite of Venus is not new, although it has not been proven, and, in any case, the special genesis of this tiny planet is undeniable. Secondly, the bodies that make up the asteroid belt are clearly of a different nature and origin; In addition, their sizes vary greatly - from

A MODERN VIEW ON THE BEAUTY VENUS.

At present, Venus appears to be a planet with impossible conditions for any life. Radio observations essentially marked the beginning of a new stage in the study of Venus. Only radio waves were able to bring from the surface of Venus, reliably hidden from observation by a dense atmosphere, some physical characteristics that made it possible to build hypothetical models of the atmosphere of Venus.

Radar methods made it possible to determine the direction and period of Venus' own rotation. It turned out that Venus rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation of the Earth and other planets of the solar system. The period of rotation of Venus relative to the stars is about 244 Earth days. This fact is unclear and unexplained. Therefore, scientists rightly call Venus a mysterious planet. And despite the fact that all the powerful technology of planetary astronomy - radio telescopes and radars equipped with the most sensitive quantum amplifiers and giant antennas, optical telescopes with infrared receivers and perfect spectral equipment - was aimed at obtaining new information about the physical characteristics of the planet, there was no interpretation of the data obtained. unambiguous and gave rise to various hypotheses, as in ancient times.

The Venus Express spacecraft explores the planet's atmospheric vortices.

VENUS IS THE CURVE MIRROR OF THE EARTH.

Venus has often been called Earth's sister. Maybe this is a sister, but not like that. Detailed studies of the air envelope of Venus were carried out only in the middle of the 20th century. In terms of physical characteristics (mass, diameter, average density), Venus is in many ways reminiscent of the Earth: it was even considered the "twin" of our planet.

Mass: 4.87 1024 kg, i.e. 0.82 Earth masses;

Diameter: 12 102 km;

Density: 5250 kg/m³;

Surface temperature: maximum +480°C;

Free fall acceleration: 8.9 m/s²;

Average distance from the Sun: 0.72 a. e. (107.7 million km);

Venus moves around the Sun in a relatively regular circular orbit at a speed of 35 km/sec.

The results of the research give grounds to assume that Venus was indeed once the "double" of the Earth, not only in size, but also in the nature of the processes that took place on the surface, but then their destinies diverged.

“Venus experienced a real climate catastrophe, but we still don’t know why and when,” emphasizes David Grinspoon, an employee of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. “Now we know that once Venus was more like Earth. While we cannot fully reveal this story, but the data obtained allows us to say that the Venera Express will solve the mystery of water on Venus."

The internal structure of Venus is probably very similar to the Earth's: an iron core with a radius of about 3000 km, a molten mantle, which is part of most planets. The latest data on the study of the gravitational field of Venus from Magellan show that the crust on Venus is much harder and thicker than previously thought. As on Earth, convection in Venus's mantle causes surface tremors that occur in many small areas, rather than being concentrated mainly to the boundaries of tectonic plates, as on Earth. It turns out that it was once a twin of the Earth and the processes that took place on its surface. However, then something happened to Venus, some kind of catastrophe that scientists still have no idea about, something like that, after which it turned into hell. On Venus, oceans of liquid water could have existed for two billion years, and it is possible that it was from there that life came to Earth. Astronomers know how to test this hypothesis, and intend to do so in the near future.

Venus has no moons and thus no tides.

Whatever happened to Venus in the distant past, today it is a very strange planet, sharply different from the Earth, and from Mars, and from all the others known to us. The day of Venus lasts 243 Earth days, and its year is 228. It rotates not only slowly, but also "incorrectly", in the other direction than all the other planets of the solar system, except for Uranus. And the sun rises in the west for her. But, unfortunately, a more detailed study of Venus shows that in many aspects it is radically different from the Earth.

A morning star named Venus, this enigmatic planet has become even more enigmatic after a nearly two-year visit to it by the European spacecraft Venus Express.

COLLONISATION OF VENUS.

Venus is a candidate for terraforming. According to one of the plans, it was supposed to spray genetically modified blue-green algae in the atmosphere of Venus, which, by converting carbon dioxide (the atmosphere of Venus is 96% carbon dioxide) into oxygen, would significantly reduce the greenhouse effect and lower the temperature on the planet. However, photosynthesis requires the presence of water, which, according to recent data, is practically absent on Venus (even in the form of vapor in the atmosphere). Therefore, to implement such a project, it is necessary first of all to deliver water to Venus - for example, by bombarding it with water-ammonia asteroids or in another way.

It should be noted that at an altitude of ~ 50-100 km in the atmosphere of Venus, there are conditions under which some terrestrial bacteria can exist.

Venus is by no means a hospitable world, as it was once supposed. With its atmosphere of carbon dioxide, clouds of sulfuric acid and terrible heat, it is completely unsuitable for humans. Under the weight of this information, some hopes collapsed, but with the advent of the space age for Venus, the eyes of scientists are again turned to it. Perhaps the resurgence of interest in Venus is due to the growing evidence that Mars has never been a warm planet with a powerful atmosphere and a lot of water on the surface. This means that in the solar system initially there were only two celestial bodies on which life could originate - Venus and Earth. Moreover, two billion years of the existence of liquid water on Venus could lead not only to the emergence of life, but also to its significant evolution. And perhaps space exploration is the key to finding out how things really were.

Venus is our closest neighbor. Its dimensions, mass and density of rocks are close to those of the earth. At the same time, its magnetic field is almost three times weaker than on Earth. Venus rotates very slowly around its axis in the opposite direction to the rotation of the Earth. The pressure on its surface reaches 10 million Pa, and the temperature is about +500 ° C. At an altitude of 49 km, a powerful layer of clouds extends above the planet. This does not exhaust the mysteries of Venus. Until recently, the reasons for the sharp depletion of its atmosphere with water, the mechanism of hurricane-force winds at altitudes of about 60 km, the structure of its relief, the composition of the constituent rocks, etc., remained unclear until recently.

Now, thanks to the systematic study of the planet by Soviet scientists, many of its secrets have been revealed.

Unlike other terrestrial planets, the study of Venus with telescopes proved impossible. After all, even M. V. Lomonosov, observing on June 6, 1761, the passage of the planet across the disk of the Sun, established that it was surrounded by "a noble air atmosphere, such (if only not more) than is poured around our globe." Therefore, until recently, ideas about the structure of the surface and the composition of rocks on Venus remained hypothetical. At the same time, some researchers came to fantastic constructions. It was assumed, for example, that hydrocarbons could form in the atmosphere of Venus. In this case, according to the American scientist F. Hoyle, Venus should be covered with an ocean of oil. In another version, it was assumed that complex molecules close to those plastics that are obtained in factories can be created in the atmosphere, and the surface of the planet is lined with a layer of natural plastic. According to the American researcher E. Epik, Venus is characterized by strong dust storms, the lower layers of the atmosphere are saturated with dust, which helps maintain a high temperature. In this case, the surface should also be covered with a layer of dust, just as it was envisaged by T. Gold's "dust hypothesis" for the Moon. I can't even believe that all this was seriously discussed just recently. But to be sure, it is enough to refer to the book by F. Whipple "Earth, Moon and Planets", which was published in Russian translation in 1967. Similar ideas are captured in the colorful album "Planets of the Solar System", published in Prague in 1963. This album was prepared by Czech researchers J. Sadil and L. Peshek, combining fiction with scientific ideas. Expressive, bright landscapes depict reddish rocks, an approaching dust storm, volcanic craters with lakes of boiling sulfur, gloomy sea expanses, stunted shoots of vegetation on the shores. These landscapes reflected all the main points of view on the nature of the surface, which allowed here conditions of a humid climate with the development of an organic world close to the Paleozoic on Earth, a dry waterless desert or oceanic spaces.

In 1961, the first spacecraft was launched towards Venus. The Venera-1 station passed at a distance of less than 100,000 km from the planet. Venera-2, launched in 1965, approached the planet at a distance of 24,000 km. March 1, 1966 Venera-3 successfully reaches the surface of the planet.

The station "Venera-4" made an interplanetary journey in 1967. Its descent vehicle smoothly plunged into the atmosphere of the planet with the help of a parachute. Temperature, pressure and composition of the atmosphere were measured. In 1969, the Venera-5 and Venera-6 stations were sent to Venus. Their landers probed the atmosphere up to 20 km above the solid surface. In 1970, the descent vehicle of the Venera-7 station made a soft landing on the planet. Within 23 minutes after landing, it received signals with information about the operation of the instruments. In 1972, the descent vehicle of the Venera-8 station made a soft landing on the surface of the planet, from which important information was received for 50 minutes.

1975 was marked by outstanding achievements in the study of Venus. Two stations "Venera-9" and "Venera-10" were launched into the orbits of artificial satellites of this planet. Their descent vehicles smoothly descended to the surface. Panoramic television images of the area and other scientific information were received from both devices for 53 and 65 minutes.

In 1978, the study of Venus was continued by the Venera-11 and Venera-12 stations, which reached the surface south of the Beta region. Finally, in 1982, the Venera-13 and Venera-14 stations, having made a soft landing on the surface of the planet, made it possible to carry out a whole range of scientific research, including drilling and sampling of soil for chemical testing. As a result of the outstanding research performed by the AMS of the Venus series, rigorous scientific data have replaced hypotheses. There was an opportunity to lift the veil of mystery of some phenomena on the planet.

At the present time, one can definitely speak about the composition of the Venusian atmosphere. As previously assumed, it consists of carbon dioxide - 97%. In addition to it, nitrogen is present in an amount of about 3%. Fractions of percent fall on inert gases (mainly argon), oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, water vapor and some other elements.

The huge amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus is associated mainly with volcanic activity. On Earth, volcanic eruptions release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Periodic changes in the climate on Earth, leading to glaciations, are associated by some scientists precisely with fluctuations in the content of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. On Venus, the carbon dioxide atmosphere creates a kind of "greenhouse effect", preventing the planet's thermal radiation from passing into outer space. Perhaps this explains the high temperatures near the surface of the planet, reaching 470 ° C.

Of particular interest are the clouds of Venus, which completely hide its surface from observation from Earth. They are at an altitude of about 49 km and reach a thickness of 20 km. According to Soviet researchers L. V. Ksanfomaliti, M. Ya. Marov, and A. D. Kuzmin, who analyzed the data obtained by the Venera and Pioneer-Venus stations, the clouds have a layered structure. The upper part of the clouds, apparently, consists of droplets of sulfuric acid, and in their middle and lower parts, in all likelihood, salts of hydrochloric acid in the form of crystalline particles predominate.

The complex dynamics of the atmosphere and the movement of clouds is noted. Apparently, there are powerful polar vortices and simply strong winds, most intense at altitudes above 40 km. Near the surface of the planet, the winds are weak. This also explains the absence of dust at the landing sites of the descent vehicles of the Venus stations.

Due to the development of a powerful atmosphere, sounding remains the only reliable means of remotely studying the surface. With the help of ground-based radio telescopes, the near-equatorial strip and individual sections with a diameter of 1500 km were studied. Experiments on radio mapping of Venus were carried out from the Venera-9 and Venera-10 stations. The signals reflected from the surface of Venus were received by terrestrial radio telescopes. At the same time, several extended ledges were established in the southern hemisphere, elongated in the latitudinal direction for several hundred kilometers at a height of up to 3 km.

The radar survey of Venus was carried out from the American Pioneer Venus satellite. The resolution of these radio images is about 30-50 km. According to satellite radar sounding data, a map has been compiled covering 83% of the planet's surface, between 75 ° N. sh. and 63°S sh.

Data on the relief of Venus make it possible to distinguish lowlands on its surface, which are depressions, hilly plains and mountain ranges.

Lowlands, located below the average level of the planet (6051 km) by 1-2.5 km, occupy 16% of its surface. They form two wide arcuate bands of depressions located on both sides of the equator and touching with their convex parts almost along the zero meridian. They have a smooth relief and are weakly saturated with ring structures of impact origin, which indicates the relative youth of the relief.

Hilly plains occupy 60% of the surface. Their hypsometric level does not exceed 500 m from the average level of the planet. They are distinguished by uniform reflectivity in the radio range. The main landforms are small ridges, hills and depressions. The surface of the plains is complicated by a large number of ring structures-craters, the diameters of which reach 400-600 km, and the depth is 200-700 m. Some structures have central hillocks, which confirms their impact origin. The relatively shallow depth of the craters, together with traces of destruction, testifies to their antiquity. Distinctly pronounced large craters were named Lisa, Meitner, Sappho and Eva. There are numerous small craters with a diameter of 150-200 km and a depth of a few hundred meters. The presence on the surface of the hilly plains of a large number of heavily destroyed ancient craters gives grounds to compare them with the ancient continental regions of the Moon and Mars. There are practically no large shield volcanoes within the continental plains. An exception may be Mount Hathor, but its volcanic nature has not yet been strictly established.

The elevated regions cover 24% of the surface, forming four isolated mountainous countries: the Land of Ishtar and the Land of Aphrodite and the regions of Beta and Alpha. The land of Ishtar is a plateau, complicated by mountain structures. Its height is 3-7 km above the average level. The plateau has the shape of a wide oval, elongated in the latitudinal direction for 2000 km. It is separated from adjacent plains by steep ledges. A relatively leveled area within the land of Ishtar was called the Lakshmi Plateau. The plateau is framed by the Akna, Freya and Maxwell mountains. The highest point on the planet is registered in the Maxwell Mountains, rising 11.8 km above the average level and 9 km above the area adjacent to the mountains. On the eastern slope of the Maxwell Mountains there is a crater 100 km in diameter and 1 km deep. It is assumed to be of volcanic origin.

The land of Aphrodite has the shape of a latitude-oriented oval with a length of 1500 km. Its peaks rise up to 9 km above the average level. According to radio astronomical observations, rounded uplifts have been identified within the Aphrodite Land. Their diameter is 700 km at a height above the surrounding area of ​​6-8 km.

The Beta region is a meridionally oriented uplift 5-6 km above the average level, topped by two large shield volcanoes - the Rhea and Teii mountains. One of the volcanoes has a relative height of 5 km and a diameter of about 700 km. At its top is a caldera with a diameter of about 90 km. This volcano exceeds in size the greatest volcano of Mars - Olympus, but is inferior to it in height. American researchers R. Saunders and M. Malin suggested that the Venusian volcanoes cannot be too high because of the greater gravity on the planet than on Mars. In addition, on Venus, the relief should be actively destroyed under the influence of chemical weathering due to the high content of acids and other active components in the atmosphere.

The Alpha region is a rise 1800 m above the average level. It is characterized by significant indentation due to the development of subparallel faults.

The tectonic nature of the elevated regions of Venus should be judged taking into account the youth and significant dissection of the relief developed within them, the absence of ancient large destroyed craters of impact origin, the confinement of all the largest shield volcanoes to them, and a clear connection with rift structures. All this gives full grounds for comparing the elevated regions of Venus with the tectonic-volcanic uplifts of Mars Tharsis and Elysium.

In the central part of the planet, a number of cracks can be traced, forming a rift system, which may have a global character. In terms of plan, the rift system, according to A. M. Nikishin, resembles a huge triangle oriented from east to west, the base of which is located south of the Beta uplift. In the latitudinal direction, the rift system of Venus extends along the Aphrodite Rise for a distance of over 20,000 km.

Despite the development of the rift system, it can be assumed that in general, compared with the Earth and Mars, the number of faults on Venus may be less. Due to the slow rotation of the planet and the low values ​​of the Coriolis forces, the system of planetary fracturing is apparently not so intensively developed on it.

The main stages of tectonic evolution can be judged on the basis of the features of the surface structure of Venus, taking into account the data of comparative planetology. Initially, an ancient crust of the continental type arose, which experienced an intense meteorite bombardment. By analogy with the Moon, this process ended approximately at the turn of 4 billion years. Later, depressions formed, filled with basalts, as well as on other planetary bodies of the terrestrial group. The youngest tectonic elements are tectonic-volcanic uplifts topped, as on Mars, by giant shield volcanoes. Let's hope that, unlike Mars, these volcanoes have not yet ceased their activity. In this case, the peculiarities of the composition of the atmosphere of Venus and the concentration of lightning near volcanoes, the freshness of detrital material, and the development of steep slopes near the Beta Rise with its clearly defined large volcanoes will be explained.

Determining the composition of the rocks of Venus became possible after landing on its surface of descent vehicles from the station of the "Venus" series, on which gamma spectrographs were installed. They analyzed the content of natural radioactive elements in the soil: uranium, thorium and potassium isotope. The type of rock at the landing site of the AMS Venera-8 descent vehicle turned out to be close to terrestrial granites in terms of the content of radioactive elements, in the areas of landings of Venera-9 and Venera-10 - to basalts. The descent vehicle of the Venera-10 station determined the density of the soil using a radioactive density meter. It turned out to be 2.7 g/cm 3 , which fully confirmed the radar data. Viewing the latest panoramas of the planet and the results of chemical analyzes of rocks, according to Soviet scientists, allow us to conclude that 70% of its surface is composed of ancient basalts, analogues of which on Earth are formed at depths of 60-80 km. Preliminary data from the chemical analysis of rocks indicate that in the landing area of ​​the Venera-13 station there is a rock that has undergone chemical weathering and corresponds in composition to leucite basalt. This type of deep basalt rocks with a high content of potassium and magnesium is quite rare in terrestrial conditions. And the rock studied in the landing area of ​​the Venera-14 station and representing tholeiite basalt is quite widespread on Earth.

To study the structure of the surface, television panoramic images transmitted from descent vehicles are of particular help. Thus, the descent vehicle of the Venera-9 station transmitted an image of the surface of the northeastern outskirts of the Beta region. Its surface is covered with large acute-angled stones. The diameter of the largest of them is 50-70 cm with a height of 15-20 cm. They are in the form of plates with stepped spalls. Between the stones, the surface is covered with light fine-earth material. On individual stones, dark spots are visible, resembling weathering cells. The apparatus is located on a slope with a steepness of about 30°. The slope is covered with scree. The sharp edges of the fragments indicate that they were formed quite recently and did not undergo significant destruction.

The descent vehicle of the Venera-10 station landed southeast of the Beta region, approximately 2000 km from the landing site of the descent vehicle of the Venera-9 station. He transmitted an image of the area, which is a flat rocky desert. Large boulders are more than 3 m in diameter and are covered with dark spots corresponding to depressions such as weathering cells. Stone blocks are immersed in dark soil. The block is split by cracks. In appearance, it resembles terrestrial igneous rocks that have undergone significant changes.

The panoramas of the Beta region, obtained from the Venera-13 and Venera-14 stations, clearly depict large blocks of rocky layered rock of dark gray color with a cellular surface. The space between the blocks is covered with fine-grained brownish-black material. The absence of noticeable secondary changes in the studied breeds may indicate their young age.

The problem of soil sampling at the Venera-13 and Venera-14 stations was solved in a very interesting way. According to V. L. Barsukov, special soil sampling devices took samples of the rocks, then the soil supply mechanisms transferred them inside the sealed compartments. At the same time, the temperature of the samples taken was reset from 457 ° to 20-30 ° C, and the pressure - from 10 million Pa to 10 thousand Pa. After that, the samples were fed into the receiving chambers of X-ray fluorescence analyzers, which determined the content of the main rock-forming chemical elements (from sodium to iron) in them and transmitted the obtained spectra to the Earth. It is likely that the composition of the atmosphere of Venus cannot but affect the rocks of its surface. This issue was considered by Soviet scientists V. L. Barsukov and V. P. Volkov. They proceeded from the latest data on differences in the composition of updrafts and downdrafts of the subcloud troposphere. Downstreams contain elevated concentrations of water vapor and sulfur. The composition of ascending flows includes gaseous products of the interaction of gases with rocks, as well as gases of deep origin. Calculations have shown that the interaction of descending flows of the troposphere with basalts produces pyrite, anhydrite, and amphiboles, while in the case of ascending flows, only pyrite and anhydrite are formed. In this case, rocks such as granites should not undergo significant transformations. However, the authors rightly note that the magnitude of this kind of chemical weathering cannot be reliably determined, so it is not clear whether Venus is covered entirely with altered rocks or only with thin surface films.

Panorama of the surface of Venus (AMS "Venera-13" and "Venera-14")

The study of Venus continues. In accordance with the program for the exploration of outer space and the planets of the solar system, in June 1983 the Soviet Union launched the AMS "Venera-15" and "Venera-16". Both stations are similar in design and purpose. The flight of two stations will make it possible to carry out independent complex measurements over various regions of Venus from the orbits of artificial satellites of this planet.

Each new result of the study of the planets brings us closer to a deeper knowledge of the Earth, and in this a significant role belongs to the achievements of Soviet science, thanks to which it was possible to reveal some of the secrets of Venus.