Space weather: explosions on Venus A recent study has found
clear evidence on Venus for a type of space weather outburst
quite common on Earth, called a hot flow anomaly. March 7, 2012
In the grand scheme of the solar system, Venus and Earth are
almost the same distance from the Sun. Yet, the planets differ
dramatically: Venus is about 100 times hotter than Earth and its
days more than 200 times longer. The atmosphere on Venus is so
thick that the longest any spacecraft has survived on its
surface before being crushed is a little over two hours. There’s
another difference, too. Earth has a magnetic field and Venus
does not — a crucial distinction when assessing the effects of
the Sun on each planet. As the solar wind flows around Venus, it
creates similar space weather effects as it does near Earth.
Credit: ESA/C. Carreau As the solar wind rushes outward from the
Sun at nearly a million miles per hour, it is stopped about
44,000 miles (70,800 kilometers) from Earth when it collides
with the giant magnetic env