Facts About Venus: Explore the Earth's Sister Planet
Venus is the brightest planet in the Solar System. It’s not always visible, but when it appears in the sky, you can easily spot it with the naked eye. To quickly find Venus, use the free Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2 app. In this article, we’ll tell you everything about this fascinating planet — from its discovery history to the color of its surface.
Contents
- Venus information
- Who discovered Venus?
- Can you see Venus from Earth?
- How many moons does Venus have?
- How big is Venus?
- What color is Venus?
- Venus’ temperature
- Venus’ orbit and rotation
- How far away is Venus?
- Missions to Venus
- What is Venus made of?
- Upcoming Events 2024
- Fun facts about Venus
- F.A.Q.
- Planet Venus: Bottom line
Venus information
- Planet type: terrestrial
- Radius: 6051.8 km (3760.4 miles)
- Mass: 4.867×10²⁴ kg
- Aphelion: 108.939 million km (67.691 million miles)
- Perihelion: 107.476 million km (66.782 million miles)
- Average distance from the Earth: 261 million km - 40 million km (162 million miles - 25 million miles)
- Surface temperature: 438 °C to 482 °C (820 °F - 900 °F)
- Solar day length: 116.75 Earth days
- Sidereal day length: 243.022 Earth days
- Year length: 224.701 Earth days
- Age: 4.503 billion years
- Named after: the Roman goddess of love and beauty
Who discovered Venus?
As Venus is very bright, it has been observed by ancient astronomers from different civilizations since the dawn of time. Thus, we can’t know for sure who discovered Venus; however, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei are credited with the classification of Venus as a planet. The latter carried out the first accurate observation of Venus in 1610: Galileo viewed the planet through a telescope and discovered its phases, which are similar to the lunar ones. This discovery proved the Copernican theory that planets orbit the Sun and not vice versa.
Can you see Venus from Earth?
Venus can be easily seen with the naked eye, as it is the second brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. However, as Venus is closer to the Sun than the Earth, the Sun’s glare outshines the planet most of the time. It becomes visible for terrestrial observers only at certain periods of time. The best time to see Venus is when the planet reaches its greatest elongation or, in other words, the greatest separation from the Sun, as seen from the Earth.
The greatest elongations of Venus take place roughly every 9 months. The greatest western elongation is also called the morning one, as, during this period, Venus shines brightly in the predawn sky — hence the name “morning star”. The greatest eastern elongation is referred to as the evening one, as Venus appears in the sky around sundown.
If you want to make sure that the bright dot you’re looking at is Venus, use an astronomy app like Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2. Simply point your device at the sky, and the app will show you the name of any celestial body.
How many moons does Venus have?
Actually, Venus has no moons at all! Venus and Mercury are the only planets of the Solar System that don’t have any natural satellites orbiting them. Scientists suggest that Venus might once have had a moon formed as a result of a collision. Later, another collision destroyed this satellite.
The main reason Venus doesn’t have any moons is its proximity to the Sun. The strong gravitational influence of the Sun makes it challenging for moons to form and remain in a stable orbit.
Zoozve — a quasi-moon of Venus
524522 Zoozve (also known as 2002 VE68) is a potentially hazardous asteroid and Venus’s quasi-moon — an object that appears to orbit a planet but is not gravitationally bound to it. Zoozve was discovered in 2002 and became the first quasi-moon to be found near a planet in the Solar System.
Why is Venus’ quasi-moon called Zoozve? This weird name originated from a quirky mix-up: Latif Nasser, co-host of the Radiolab podcast, stumbled upon a poster where Venus was shown having a moon named “ZOOZVE”. After some investigation, it turned out that "ZOOZVE" emerged from a misreading of “2002 VE” by the poster’s creator, Alex Foster. Captivated by the odd name, Nasser embarked on a mission to have the quasi-moon renamed, and in February 2024, the International Astronomical Union approved “Zoozve” as its official name!
How big is Venus?
Venus has a mean radius of 6,052 km (3,760 miles). A trip around the equator of this planet would cover a distance of about 38,025 km (23,627 miles). Unlike many other Solar System planets with an equatorial bulge, Venus is a nearly perfect sphere, so its radius doesn’t differ at the poles and the equator. The equatorial bulge doesn’t form because Venus rotates very slowly around its axis.
Is Venus bigger than Earth?
Venus is slightly smaller than the Earth — its diameter equals about 95% that of our planet. The mass of Venus (4.867×10²⁴ kg) is about 81% that of the Earth.
What color is Venus?
Venus appears white or yellowish-white when viewed through a telescope. The reason is that it’s covered with a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere and sulphuric acid clouds.
The planet's cloud cover obscures direct observations, so the color of the Venusian surface is not accurately known. However, based on data collected by spacecraft missions, scientists believe that it likely exhibits various shades of red, brown, and gray.
Venus’ temperature
Venus has an average surface temperature of about 462 °C (864 °F), which makes it one of the hottest places in the Solar System. This incredible heat is primarily a result of Venus’ thick atmosphere, which is composed mainly of carbon dioxide. It creates the greenhouse effect, which traps solar radiation and elevates temperatures to such extreme levels. Additionally, the planet’s proximity to the Sun contributes to its exceptionally high temperatures.
Venus’ orbit and rotation
How long is a day on Venus?
Unlike the Earth, where a day consists of approximately 24 hours, Venus takes a much longer time to complete a single rotation on its axis. A Venusian day lasts about 243 Earth days or 5,832 Earth hours! Just imagine a day stretching on for months and months, with the Sun rising and setting only once during that entire period.
How long is a year on Venus?
While on the Earth we are accustomed to a year consisting of approximately 365 days, Venus dances to a different celestial rhythm. The duration of a Venusian year, or its orbital period around the Sun, is roughly 225 Earth days. Surprisingly, this means that a Venusian year is actually shorter than a Venusian day!
Why does Venus rotate backwards?
Venus rotates in the opposite direction of most planets in the Solar System, a phenomenon known as retrograde rotation (not to be confused with retrograde motion). As a result, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east on Venus, contrasting with the east-to-west motion of the Sun in the Earth’s sky. The cause of Venus’s retrograde rotation is still poorly understood.
One prominent theory suggests that a collision with a giant asteroid early in Venus’s history could have reversed its rotation. A similar thing might have happened to Uranus, causing the planet to spin on its side.
Another possible cause could be a gravitational interaction between Venus and the Sun. Over time, the Sun’s gravitational pull could have slowed down Venus’s rotation and eventually reversed it.
How far away is Venus?
How far is Venus from the Sun?
Venus is the second planet from the Sun; its distance from our star is just over 70% the distance between Earth and the Sun. As Venus’ elliptical orbit is the least eccentric of any of the planets, there is no significant difference between its closest (107.4 million km) and farthest (108.9 million km) points from the Sun. The average distance is 108.2 million km.
How far is Venus from the Earth?
Venus is the closest planet to the Earth, although the distance between the planets constantly varies as they move in their elliptical orbits around the Sun. At its closest approach to the Earth, which happens once every 584 days, the distance between Venus and our planet can be about 40 million km.
Missions to Venus
Venus was long thought to have lush jungles and large bodies of water, like Earth, because no one could see the planet’s surface through its thick clouds. However, spacecraft missions have revealed a vastly different reality: a hellish volcanic planet with extremely high temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressure. Overall, more than 40 spacecraft have explored Venus, but not all of them have reached their goals. Here is a short list of the most successful missions to Venus:
- Mariner 2 — first successful Venus flyby (1962)
- Venera 7 — first successful landing on Venus (1970)
- Venera 9 and Venera 10 — orbiting and landing on Venus (1975)
- Magellan — imaging the entire Venus surface (1989)
- Galileo — Venus flyby en route to Jupiter (1989)
- Cassini — Venus flybys en route to Saturn (1998 and 1999)
- Venus Express — first European Venus orbiter (2005)
- Akatsuki — first Japanese Venus orbiter (2015)
How long does it take to get to Venus?
On average, it takes spacecraft between 3 to 5 months to reach Venus. The flight duration depends on several factors, including the spacecraft’s trajectory and the relative positions of Earth and Venus in their orbits. The Soviet Venera 1 spacecraft (1961) made it to Venus’s vicinity in just 97 days (a little more than 3 months) but missed the planet by about 100,000 km (62,000 miles). NASA’s space probe Mariner 2 (1962) reached Venus in 110 days (about 3 months and 20 days). ESA’s Venus Express (2005) took 153 days (around 5 months) to get to Venus.
What is Venus made of?
Unfortunately, little information is available about the internal structure of Venus.
Formation of Venus
Venus formed together with the other Solar System planets. About 4.5 billion years ago, a giant cloud of interstellar gas and dust collapsed under its own gravity and flattened into a protoplanetary disk. Venus and the other rocky planets formed in the inner part of this disk, while the gas giants settled in the outer regions of the young Solar System.
Venus’ structure
Due to the similarity in size and mass between Venus and the Earth, scientists believe the planets share a similar interior. Venus is likely to have a crust, a rocky mantle, and a liquid core. However, the core might also be solid or even might not exist at all.
Venus’ atmosphere
The gaseous Venusian atmosphere was initially discovered in 1761 by the Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov. Observing the transit of Venus across the solar disk, Lomonosov spotted a light ring around the planet’s disk. He correctly assumed that this phenomenon might be caused by the refraction of the Sun’s rays in the thick Venusian atmosphere.
Venus's atmosphere consists of 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen, and traces of other gases. Thick clouds composed of sulfuric acid and water vapor cover the planet’s surface and reflect about 70% of the sunlight that reaches Venus: that’s why this planet is so bright.
Upcoming Events 2024
November 4: Venus near the Moon
- Close approach time: 23:51 GMT (6:51 p.m. EST)
- Close approach distance: 3°05'
- Conjunction time: November 5, 00:16 GMT (November 4, 7:16 p.m. EST)
- Conjunction distance: 3°24'
On November 4, the 9%-illuminated Moon and Venus (mag -4.0) will meet in the constellation Ophiuchus. The planet will be visible after sunset without any optical aid. As the event will occur three days after the New Moon, the lunar disc will be barely visible.
December 4: Venus near the Moon
- Conjunction time: 22:40 GMT
- Conjunction distance: 2°24'
- Close approach time: 23:34 GMT
- Close approach distance: 2°12'
On December 4, the 11.6%-illuminated Moon and Venus (mag -4.2) will meet in the constellation Sagittarius. The planet will be visible after sunset without any optical aid. As the event will occur three days after the New Moon, the lunar disc will be barely visible.
January 3: Venus near the Moon
- Conjunction time: 15:24 GMT (10:24 a.m. EST)
- Conjunction distance: 1°30'
- Close approach time: 16:21 GMT (11:21 a.m. EST)
- Close approach distance: 1°18'
On January 3, the 15.5%-illuminated Moon and Venus (mag -4.5) will meet in the constellation Aquarius. The planet will be visible after sunset without any optical aid. As the event will occur four days after the New Moon, the lunar crescent will be thin.
January 18: Saturn and Venus
Two bright planets will cross their paths on January 18! At 15:53 GMT, Venus (mag -4.6) and Saturn (mag 1.1) will be just 2°12′ apart in the constellation Aquarius. Both can be seen with the naked eye on the western horizon for a few hours after sunset. You can also try using a pair of binoculars to observe the planets together in more detail. To find out the exact rising time of Saturn and Venus and to easily locate them in the sky above you, use the free Sky Tonight app.
And that's not all! The pair will be a part of a planetary parade that will also include Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. Find out how to observe this event and when the next planetary parades take place.
Fun facts about Venus
Here are a few mind-blowing facts about the planet Venus.
- Venus is the hottest planet in all of the Solar System.
- Venus has rains of sulfuric acid that never reach the surface.
- Venus spins on its axis in the opposite direction compared to most other planets.
- In the Venusian atmosphere, winds blow at incredibly high speeds — up to 300 km/h (186 mph).
- Venus has no moons or rings. However, it has a quasi-moon named Zoozve!
- Venus has the longest day of any planet in the Solar System — it lasts about 243 Earth days.
- A Venusian year (which is around 225 Earth days) is shorter than a Venusian day.
- The atmospheric pressure on Venus is about 92 times greater than on the Earth. It is equivalent to the pressure experienced at depths of approximately 1 km (0.62 miles) in the Earth's oceans.
- Multiple spacecraft have successfully landed on Venus, but their operational lifetimes were very short due to the harsh conditions on the planet's surface.
Take our fun and educational quiz about Venus to learn more interesting facts and test your knowledge about this fascinating planet!
F.A.Q.
How hot is Venus?
The thick Venusian atmosphere trapping heat causes surface temperatures higher than 470 °C (878 °F). That is the reason why Venus is hotter than Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
Does Venus have a surface?
Yes, Venus has a solid surface beneath its dense atmosphere. The surface of Venus is made up of rocky materials similar to those found on the Earth. It is covered with volcanoes, mountains, expansive plains and vast plateaus.
How old is Venus?
Like other celestial bodies in the Solar System, Venus formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago during the early stages of the Solar System's evolution. It originated from the accretion and collision of numerous protoplanets and planetesimals. As these objects came together, their gravitational interactions led to the gradual formation of the planet Venus.
Is Venus the morning star?
It’s interesting that ancient sky gazers took Venus for two separate sky objects: the Morning Star and the Evening Star (or Phosphorus and Hesperus to the Greeks and Lucifer and Vesper to the Romans).
Planet Venus: Bottom line
Venus is sometimes called the Earth’s “sister planet” because of its similar size, mass, and structure. However, the two planets are very different in many other respects. Venus is extremely hot, is enveloped by thick clouds of sulfuric acid, and has a slow and retrograde rotation. It’s a much less hospitable but still very intriguing world! If you want to quickly find Venus in the sky in your location, use the free astronomy apps — Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2.
