Venus

Second planet from the Sun, nearly the same size as Earth; visible from Earth at dusk and dawn…

DATA

Diameter: 12104km (7521miles)
Mass: (Earth=1) 0.815
Volume: (Earth=1) 0.86
Density: (water=1) 5.25
Orbital Period: 224.7 Earth days
Rotation Period: 243.16 Earth days
Av. Surface Temp: 480°C (896°F)

The Planet Venus

Venus is the most visible object in the sky from Earth after the Sun and the Moon; through a standard telescope the planet is dazzling with yellowish-white clouds and faint markings covering it. Scientists on Earth discovered Venus’s very high temperatures in 1958 after taking measurements with a radio telescope. Venus space probes later brought more information about the surface; a gentle, undulating plain covers two thirds of the second planet from the Sun, with highlands making up another quarter, and depressions and chasms making up the rest. The majority if Venus’s surface features are of a volcanic nature. The atmosphere is 98% carbon dioxide and 3.5% nitrogen, with traces of helium, argon, neon, and krypton. Venus has no moons.