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Space TopicsVenus
Explore MoreVenus, the second planet from the Sun, is Earth's closest planetary neighbor. Its similar size and composition have caused it to be called a "sister" to Earth. But Venus is one of the most hostile environments in the solar system. A noxious atmosphere, hellish temperatures, and crushing surface pressure make Mars and the Moon seem delightful by comparison.
Venus' clouds hide its surface from telescopic view, but radar can penetrate the clouds. Radar instruments on the Pioneer, Venera, and Magellan spacecraft have seen the surface, and four Venera landers returned images. Venus is covered with mountain ranges and volcanoes ranging in size from small cones to enormous shield-like structures; the mountains are separated by broad, rolling, lava-rock-filled plains. Although Venus has craters, there are relatively few, which means that Venus has been geologically active relatively recently in the past. However, there is no proof that Venus is geologically active in the present. More about Venus... Both Galileo and Cassini flew by Venus on their way to the outer solar system (in 1990 and 1997, respectively). ESA's Venus Express spacecraft is now in orbit at Venus in a mission that will last two Venus sidereal days (more than two Earth years). Venus was also recently visited twice by MESSENGER on its way to Mercury, in October 2006 and June 2007. Venus Numbers Size: 6th largest planet - 12,104 kilometers - 0.9488 Earths across Calendar: 1 Venus year = 0.615 Earth years or 224.7 Earth days; 1 Venus day = 116.75 Earth days Orbit: 108,210,000 kilometers - 0.723 times Earth's orbit Axial tilt: 177.36 degrees (or, 2.64 degrees away from being upside down, 20.81 degrees less than Earth) Number of moons: none |
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