What does Venus look like?

Click here to see some pictures of Venus!

How far is it from the Sun? How far is it from Earth?

Venus is the second planet. It is between Mercury and Earth. It is about 67 million miles away from the Sun. It is about 26 million miles away from the Earth. It is the closest planet to Earth.

What is Venus made of?

Venus has an iron core or middle, and a crust that is very rocky. It is covered with rocks, mountains, plains, and canyons, and lots of lava. The atmosphere is made of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The atmosphere is very thick and heavy.

How big is Venus?

Venus is the often called Earth's twin. It is about the same size as Earth. However, size is the only thing that's the same about these planets!

How long is Venus' year?

One year on Venus is about 225 days on Earth. Therefore it takes Venus about 225 Earth days to orbit or circle the Sun.

How fast does Venus spin (rotate)?

Venus spins very slowly. It takes about 243 Earth days for Venus to spin one time. However, Venus spins in the opposite direction of Earth.

Is Venus hot or cold?

Venus is the second hottest place in our solar system, besides the Sun. The thick atmosphere keeps all the heat and warmth trapped on the planet. It is about 900 degrees on Venus! Venus is a very unpleasant place to visit.

How many moons (satellites) does Venus have? How many rings does it have?

Venus has no moons.

Venus has no rings.

How did Venus get it's name?

The Romans named Venus after their goddess Venus, who was known as the goddess of love and beauty. They named it after her because Venus is so bright in the morning and evening. It is known as the "morning star" and "evening star."

Can you see Venus?

Venus is very easy to see from Earth. It appears as a bright, white disk from Earth. It is easiest to see in the morning and evening. It is the brightest object in our sky, next to the Sun and our Moon.

Did you know?

It takes Venus 225 Earth days to circle the Sun, which is one year. But it takes 243 Earth days for it to spin once, which is a day. So one day on Venus is longer than a year!

Venus is a very unpleasant place to visit. The temperature is incredibly hot, and the atmosphere is very thick and poisonous. All the spaceships we've sent to Venus only last a few minutes. Once they reach Venus, the spaceships melt or get crushed by the atmosphere!