Venus Facts: Explore the Brightest “Star” in The Sky
Venus is the brightest planet in the Solar System. 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 facts
- 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?
- When and where is Venus visible in 2025?
- F.A.Q.
- Planet Venus: Bottom line
Venus facts
- 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
Fun facts about Venus
Here are a few mind-blowing facts about the planet Venus.
- Venus is the hottest planet in all 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!
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.
The phases of Venus
Similar to the Moon, Venus goes through phases as it orbits the Sun. Here's a quick breakdown of each phase (more on the celestial mechanics behind these phases in our dedicated article):
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New phase occurs at inferior conjunction, when Venus passes between the Sun and Earth. If it passes directly in front of the Sun, it appears as a small black dot moving across the Sun’s surface. However, this event can only be observed safely using special solar filters — never look at the Sun directly!
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Full phase happens at superior conjunction, when Venus is behind the Sun as seen from Earth. This phase is completely unobservable because the Sun’s glare blocks the view.
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Quarter phases occur at greatest elongations, when Venus appears farthest from the Sun in the sky.
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Gibbous phase lasts between the full phase and greatest elongations when more than half of Venus is illuminated.
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Crescent phase is seen between the new phase and greatest elongations.
The phases of Venus were first observed by Galileo Galilei in 1610, providing key evidence that planets orbit the Sun. They are easily visible through a small telescope, especially the crescent phase, which can sometimes even be seen with binoculars or, in rare cases, even with the naked eye by those with exceptional vision.
Surprisingly, unlike the Moon, Venus is not at its brightest when fully illuminated. That’s because its brightness depends on both its phase and its distance from Earth. When Venus is in its full phase, it’s actually at its farthest point from us, making it appear smaller and dimmer. However, during its crescent phase, Venus is much closer, and while only part of its surface is lit, its apparent size is much larger. Venus reaches peak brightness when less than half of its disk is illuminated because this is when its visible surface area covers the largest angular size from Earth.
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.
When and where is Venus visible in 2025?
In 2025, Venus will be a stunning sight in the sky all year long. It starts the year as the “evening star” in Aquarius and reaches its farthest point from the Sun in the beginning of January, making it easy to spot. By mid-February, Venus shines at its brightest (mag -4.6) as it moves into Pisces.
In late March, Venus briefly appears as both the “evening star” and “morning star” in the Northern Hemisphere around its closest approach to the Sun. After that, it becomes a morning object, rising before sunrise.
The planet is best seen again in June, reaching its greatest distance from the Sun in the morning sky on June 1. It moves through Aries, Taurus (near the Pleiades), and Gemini from June to August.
From September to November, Venus travels through Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Libra, glowing brightly in the predawn sky. In December, it travels through Ophiuchus and Sagittarius, nearing the Sun in the morning sky as it heads for its next solar conjunction in early 2026.
Upcoming events
7 planets in the planetary alignment on February 28, 2025
In the evening, just after sunset, seven planets — Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars — will align in the sky. Four of them (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars) will be easily visible to the naked eye. For Uranus and Neptune, get a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. Saturn will be the most difficult target to see — you'll need to know the exact time for your exact location as the planet hangs close to the Sun.
March 1: Moon near Venus
- Conjunction time: March 1, 23:18 GMT
- Conjunction distance: 6° 24′
- Close approach time: March 2, 03:26 GMT
- Close approach distance: 5° 40'
On March 1, the 3.2%-illuminated Moon will pass next to Venus (mag -4.8) in the constellation Pisces. You will easily find Venus in the evening sky, but the Moon will be just one day after its New Moon phase, so it won’t be visible to the naked eye.
March 9: Mercury-Venus
- Conjunction: March 9, 10:52
- Conjunction distance: 6° 21′
- Close approach: March 12, 17:53 GMT
- Close approach distance: 5° 32'
Mercury (mag 0.3) will appear close to Venus (mag -4.4) in the constellation Pisces. The planets will be visible to the naked eye for about an hour after local sunset.
March 18-21: Dual visibility of Venus
Venus is called the "evening star" and the "morning star," depending on when it appears. But this March, something rare will happen! Around its inferior conjunction with the Sun on March 23, Venus will be visible in both the morning and evening skies for a few days in the Northern Hemisphere.
This happens because this inferior conjunction of Venus coincides with the moment when its ecliptic latitude is very high, up to 8.4° north. In addition, in late March in the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic makes a steep angle with the horizon in the evening and sits low down in the morning. In other words, the Sun sets quickly in the evening and rises slowly in the morning. Because of this arrangement, Venus is still visible in the evening sky just before the inferior conjunction and begins to be visible in the morning sky as well a few days before the conjunction. This is a rare event, next time it will occur only in 2033.
March 23: Venus inferior solar conjunction
On March 23, at 01:26 GMT, Venus will pass between the Sun and the Earth. In the sky, the planet will be at an angular distance of only 8° from the Sun. During the solar conjunction, Venus will be too close to the Sun to be safely observed. It will start to appear as a “morning star” in a couple of days after the conjunction.
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. And for observers, it's a great target: it's the brightest planet in the sky. Venus is especially worth observing now, as the planet reaches its maximum brightness on February 16. If you want to quickly find Venus in the sky in your location, use the free astronomy apps — Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2.
