What highly reflective component of Venus's atmosphere causes it to reflect about 70 percent of incident sunlight?
Answer
Sulfuric acid clouds
Venus's extraordinary luminosity stems largely from its dense atmosphere. Specifically, this atmosphere is shrouded by bright clouds composed of sulfuric acid. These particular clouds are exceptionally good at scattering and reflecting solar radiation, bouncing back approximately 70 percent of the sunlight that strikes them. This high reflectivity, known as albedo, is the primary reason for Venus's brilliant appearance from Earth, even though its actual surface beneath the clouds is quite dark.
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