Why could the mass of Venus not be deduced from Earth-based observations in the same manner as the masses of most other planets?

Because Venus has no moon. It is the periods of satellites that lets one calculate the mass of the central body, using Kepler's Third Law.

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To understand why the mass of Venus couldn't be deduced from Earth-based observations in the same manner as most other planets, we need to consider a few factors.

Firstly, determining the mass of a planet typically involves studying the gravitational forces between the planet and other celestial objects. By measuring the orbital motion of moons or spacecraft around the planet, astronomers can derive the planet's mass using Newton's law of gravitation.

However, in the case of Venus, there are a couple of reasons why this method is less effective.

1. Lack of Moons: Unlike other planets in our solar system, Venus has no natural satellites (moons) of its own. Moons are useful for gravitational measurements because their motions can be accurately observed and analyzed to calculate the planet's mass. Since Venus lacks moons, this method cannot be employed.

2. Thick Atmosphere: Venus has a dense atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide, which creates a veil of clouds. This cloud cover makes it extremely difficult to observe the planet's surface or anything happening below it. Consequently, studying the orbital motion of spacecraft or other objects is challenging, further hindering the determination of Venus' mass from Earth-based observations.

Nevertheless, scientists have employed alternative methods to estimate the mass of Venus. One such method is using radar observations to measure the planet's gravitational effects on spacecraft or artificial satellites that have been sent to Venus. By carefully measuring the spacecraft's trajectory and the gravitational pulls it experiences during flybys or orbital insertion, scientists can infer the mass of Venus indirectly.

Overall, the lack of moons around Venus and the presence of a thick atmosphere have made it challenging to determine its mass through typical Earth-based observations. Nevertheless, scientists have utilized alternative techniques, such as radar measurements, to estimate Venus' mass indirectly.