Venus is almost exactly Earth's size. That is where the family resemblance ends.
Its air is so thick that standing on the ground would feel like being nearly a kilometre deep in the ocean. That blanket of carbon dioxide traps heat so well the surface sits at 464 °C, hot enough to melt lead.
So Venus is the hottest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.
It also spins backwards, and very slowly. On Venus the Sun rises in the west, and one day lasts longer than its whole year.
The clouds are made of sulphuric acid. In 1982 the Soviet lander Venera 13 survived 127 minutes on the surface and sent back colour photos before the heat and pressure ended it.
Some scientists think Venus may once have had oceans, before it turned into the planet it is today.
- Width
- 12,104 km
- One day
- 243 Earth days, spinning backwards
- One year
- 225 Earth days
- Moons
- None
- Temperature
- 464 °C, day and night
- 70 kg on Earth weighs
- 63 kg here
