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About Venus
About Venus
Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty because of its bright and beautiful appearance in the sky.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is often called Earth’s twin because it’s similar in size and composition. However, Venus has an extremely thick and toxic atmosphere that traps heat, making it the hottest planet in the solar system.
Distance of Venus from the sun - Venus orbits the Sun at an average distance of 108 million km (67 million miles) or 0.72 AU - (1 AU = Distance from Earth to Sun)
Earth size comparison - Venus is almost the same size as Earth, about 95% of Earth’s diameter. If Earth were a basketball, Venus would be just slightly smaller.
Five Facts About Venus
Five Facts About Venus
Hottest Planet – Venus has a surface temperature of about 475°C (900°F)—hot enough to melt lead—due to its thick atmosphere trapping heat in a runaway greenhouse effect.
Rotates Backward – Unlike most planets, Venus rotates in the opposite direction to its orbit, meaning the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Slowest Rotation – One day on Venus (one full rotation) takes 243 Earth days, making it longer than its year, which is just 225 Earth days!
Thick Clouds of Acid – Venus' atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide with thick clouds of sulfuric acid, making it impossible for humans to survive.
Strongest Winds and Pressure – The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times stronger than Earth’s, equivalent to being nearly 1 km (0.6 miles) underwater. Its upper atmosphere also has hurricane-force winds that can reach up to 360 km/h (224 mph).
Click on any of the names below to learn more about other planets in our solar system.
Mercury | Venus | Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Dwarf Planet Pluto
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