Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It has no natural satellite. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky.
| Diameter | 12,103.6 km |
| Mass | 4.869e24 kg |
| Temperature | 737 K ;462 °C(surface) |
| Composition | Percentage |
|---|---|
| carbon dioxide | 96.5% |
| nitrogen | 3.5% |
| sulfur dioxide | 0.015% |
| argon | 0.007% |
| water vapour | 0.002% |
| carbon monoxide | 0.0017% |
| helium | 0.0012% |
| neon | 0.0007% |
| carbonyl sulfide | trace |
| hydrogen chloride | trace |
| hydrogen fluoride | trace |
Venus is the second largest terrestrial planet and is sometimes referred to as the Earth’s sister planet due the their similar size and mass. The surface of the planet is obscured by an opaque layer of clouds made up of sulphuric acid.
Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times greater than the Earth’s. While its size and mass are similar to Earth, the small asteroids are crushed when entering its atmosphere, meaning no small craters lie on the surface of the planet. The pressure felt by a human on the surface would be equivalent to that experienced deep beneath the sea on Earth.