Venus

Venus is about the same size as the Earth with a diameter of about 7,520 mi (12,100km). The distance from the sun to venus is about 67,000,000mi. It takes Venus 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis, but moves around the sun in only 225 Earth days. Gravity is 91% that of the Earth's. The planets cloud cover rains sulfuric acid. Much of it evaporates before it strikes the surface for the temperature on venus is about 900 degrees F. The atmosphere is made mostly of carbon dioxide creating a severe greenhouse effect. The suns heat is trapped and the surface cools at night. The atmosphere is very heavy. In fact it is 89 times as heavy as Earth's. The atmosphere is heavy enough to crush humans. Early space probes lasted only hours in this environment.

Venus is known as the Morningstar or Evening star because it is so bright and is often called a UFO. Like Mercury because Venus travels between the earth and sun, has phases like the moon.

Table showing when Venus is visible

Year Visible in the Evening sky. Visible in the Morning sky. 1996 January-May July-December 1997 June-December Not Visible 1998 Not Visible February-August

Venus is almost a pure white in color reflecting more than 65% of the light that arrives from the sun. A person weighing 100 pounds on Earth would weigh 91 pounds on Venus. Due to Venus' orbit it can get as close as 25 million miles from the Earth. The Soviet satellite Venera had missions that visited the moon in the 1970s and 1980s. The USA's Mariner 2, Mariner 5 and Mariner 10 have visited Venus, imaging about 98% of its surface. Venus got its name from the Roman goddess of beauty because its the brightest planet.