Climates in the Inner Solar System

I'll post these two links, and then move on.

"Planetary Climate for Dummies" Melissa Strausberg, mentored by Dr. Mark I. Richardson - on CalTech's website

It's not "for dummies," by any means: but this is a pretty good discussion of planetary atmospheres, starting with why Venus, Earth, and Mars have such radically different climates.

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"Venus Mysteries Blamed on Colossal Collision"
Space.com (February 28, 2008)

Venus is just like Earth, except that it

• Is unreasonably dry
• Is hot enough to melt lead
• Rotates very, very slowly
  • And spins backward - the only planet to do so

Now John Huw Davies, a British scientist, has an explanation: Two whacking great pieces of rock, small planets in their right, crashed into each other.

Sounds crazy? Maybe, but it explains quite a bit.

bone-dry, hot enough to melt lead and has a chokingly thick atmosphere. It even spins backwards.