Venus is known as Earth's twin, though it is more of an evil twin. We don't know much about our closest planetary neighbour. Venus hides its surface in visible-light observations.

In the early 1990s, we obtained a radar map of the surface after visiting the planet. The craters on the planet are visible through the sulphuric acid clouds that cover the planet.

The Dickinson crater is a 69-hectare crater located in the Atalanta Planitia Region. The image is from 1996 and came from a space craft. This image was re-released by NASA to whet our appetites for the upcoming missions to Venus.

The Dickinson crater has a partial central ring. This type of crater is only produced by big impacts. There are two materials on the floor of the crater. The material surrounding the crater suggests that the impactor traveled an oblique path into the crater. The bright material can be either impact melt or volcanic material, according to scientists.

Dickinson Crater is named after the poet Emily Dickinson. It's on the very upper right (yellow) in this USGS geologic map of Venus. Image Credit: USGS/NASA
Dickinson Crater is named after the poet Emily Dickinson. It’s on the very upper right (yellow) in this USGS geologic map of Venus’ Atalanta Planitia. Image Credit: USGS/NASA

The majority of Venus' 1,000 craters are in good shape. There are many craters and their conditions show Venus' history. Some 300 million to 600 million years ago, scientists think the planet underwent a near-global surface event.

There is nothing that can be done to degrade the craters at this time. Earth has plate tectonics, but the planet doesn't. As heat from the inside moves the planet's plates, active plate tectonics keeps Earth's crust in motion. Plates smash into each other, subduing them and wiping out craters.

This topographic map of Venus gives a better sense of Dickinson Crater's location. Image Credit: NASA/USGS/Arecibo
This topographic map of Venus gives a better sense of Dickinson Crater’s location. Image Credit: NASA/USGS/Arecibo

Venus is not the same as everyone else. The heat builds up on Venus due to plate tectonics. The planet goes through a cycle where the mantle begins to heat up. There is a period of rapid subduction that lasts about 100 million years. The crust is recycled.

What’s Next for Venus?

The DAVINCI mission is a probe and an elliptical object. In 2031, the planet will be imaged in different wavelength by the orbiter. The atmosphere is one of the most important features of the planet.

Data from the DAVINCI descent probe will be transmitted continuously as it descends toward the surface. The amount of primordial noble gases in Venus' atmosphere is very important. The atmospheres of Venus and Earth are thought to have started the same. Scientists think that Venus may have had a lot of surface water before it was destroyed.

An updated high-resolution map of Venus will be provided by NASA's VERITAS mission, which will be launched in 2028. VERITAS wants to learn more about Venus' impact history and how it comes back to life. The first surface rock composition map will be created.

Venus craters larger than 20 km are named after women who made significant contributions. Three features are named after men.

We found a pro-science quote from one of Emily Dickinson's poems in honor of her.

“Faith is a fine invention

When gentlemen can see,

But microscopes are prudent

In an emergency.”

Thank you Emily. It was thanks to NASA.