Venus and Earth side by side

Age 15 · Environmental Science

Venus and Earth formed from the same kinds of rocky material. On Venus, the heat kept water as vapor, so carbon dioxide built up and trapped more heat.

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In the picture

Earth’s blue ocean and white clouds: liquid water on the surface
Venus’s thick yellow cloud layer: an opaque shell wrapping the whole planet
Venus’s glowing red-orange ground and volcanoes: a hot rocky surface seen through gaps in the clouds
Earth’s green land with three separate ponds: still water on solid ground

Examples

A parked car with the windows shut: sunlight goes in, the heat stays inside, and the cabin ends up hotter than the air outside.
A closed pot on a low flame: the steam cannot escape and the inside keeps getting hotter.

Key takeaways

Both planets started out with roughly similar amounts of rock, carbon and water.
On Venus the water stayed as vapor and carbon dioxide accumulated, trapping heat and driving the temperature up.