Planet
Venus
Terrestrial planet
Earth's toxic twin and the brightest planet
Similar in size to Earth, Venus is wrapped in a dense carbon-dioxide atmosphere and sulfuric-acid clouds. A runaway greenhouse effect makes it the hottest planet at about 465 °C. It shines as the 'morning' or 'evening star'.
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
0.72 AU from the Sun (mean)
Diameter
12,104 km
Orbital period
225 days
Rotation
243 days (retrograde)
Moons
0
Did you know
- Venus spins backwards relative to most planets.
- Surface pressure is about 92 times Earth's.
- At its brightest it reaches magnitude −4.9.
