What characteristic separates Venus from other terrestrial planets like Mars?
Answer
Its runaway greenhouse effect causing an incredibly hot surface.
While Venus shares similar size and mass characteristics with Earth, classifying it within the terrestrial group based on composition, its surface environment is uniquely extreme among the four. Venus is defined by a severe runaway greenhouse effect, which has resulted in surface temperatures far hotter than those on Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. Mars, conversely, is smaller and features a thin atmosphere and a characteristic reddish hue due to surface iron oxide (rust), making Venus's intense heat profile a major distinguishing factor within the terrestrial class.
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