A heat-trapping sky
A dense carbon dioxide atmosphere and sulfuric acid clouds surround this rocky world.
The solar system / Planet 02
Venus
Earth's twin. A world apart.
Behind a brilliant veil of clouds lies the hottest planet in our solar system.
Explore the planet ↓Image: Venus, Mariner 10 · NASA/JPL-Caltech
12,104 kmEquatorial diameter
225 daysYear · Earth days
467 °CApprox. surface temperature
0 moonsNatural satellites
01 / A closer look
Familiar size.
Unfamiliar extremes.
Crushing pressure
Surface air pressure is about 93 times Earth's sea-level pressure.
A backward spin
Venus rotates in the opposite direction to Earth. The Sun would rise in the west.
02 / The rhythm of a planet
One rotation
outlasts one year.
Venus takes about 243 Earth days to turn once, but only 225 to orbit the Sun.
Rotation period is measured relative to the stars.
03 / Exploration milestones
Getting to know
another world.
1962
Mariner 2
First successful flyby of another planet.
1970
Venera 7
First successful data transmission from another planet's surface.
1990
Magellan
Radar mapping begins to reveal the surface beneath the clouds.
Why does Venus look so bright?
Its clouds reflect sunlight strongly. Seen from Earth, Venus appears near sunrise or sunset.