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You are here: Home / Space / Why Does the Planet Venus Shine So Brightly In the Sky and How Much Sunlight Does Venus Reflect?

Why Does the Planet Venus Shine So Brightly In the Sky and How Much Sunlight Does Venus Reflect?

March 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

Why Does the Planet Venus Shine So Brightly In the Sky and How Much Sunlight Does Venus Reflect?

Oddly enough, Venus is so brilliant because it is covered in clouds.

These clouds are about 10 miles (16.5 km) thick and begin about 50 miles (83 km) above the ground.

From the surface of a planet, clouds obscure sunlight. From up above, however, they reflect sunlight very brightly.

You may notice this if you are in an airplane above Earth’s cloud cover.

Venus reflects about 60-80 percent of the sunlight it receives, and this prevents the direct observation of the Venusian surface in visible light.

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  • How Do We Know So Much About the Planet Venus and How Much of Venus Has been Mapped By Astronomers?
  • How Hot Is the Planet Venus and Why Is Venus Known As the Hottest Planet In the Solar System?
  • Who Discovered the Planet Venus and What Is the Planet Venus Best Known For?
  • Why Does the Planet Venus Have Phases Like Mercury and Why Does Venus Sometimes Appear As a Crescent?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Do the Clouds On Venus Move and How Long Do the Clouds On Venus Take To Rotate Around the Planet?
Next Post: How Long Is a Day and a Year On Venus and How Many Earth Days Is One Solar Day On the Planet Venus? »

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