Atmosphere
96% carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid. Surface pressure is about 92 times Earth’s — like being 900 m underwater.
Distance from Earth today
45.9M km
In astronomical units
0.307 AU
Light travel time
2m 33s
Overview.
Venus is nearly the same size as Earth, but it is a world of extremes — the hottest planet in the solar system.
Its crushing carbon-dioxide atmosphere creates a runaway greenhouse effect, keeping the surface around 465 °C.
- Diameter
- 12,104 km
- Distance from Sun
- 108.2M km
- Year
- 225 Earth days
- Day (sidereal)
- 243 Earth days
- Gravity
- 0.90 g
- Moons
- 0
The real Venus
Through spacecraft eyes.
Beneath the clouds: a simulated global view of Venus built from Magellan radar data. Colors represent surface hues; this is not a visible-light photograph.
Image credit: NASA / JPL
Surface & interior
Volcanic plains, thousands of volcanoes and highland "continents", hidden beneath clouds and only mapped by radar.
Moons & rings
Venus has no moons and no rings.
Missions.
- Venera 7 (1970, first landing on another planet)
- Magellan (1990–94, radar map)
- Akatsuki (2015–24)
Wow facts.
- Venus spins backwards — the Sun rises in the west.
- A day on Venus is longer than its year.
- It is the brightest planet in our night sky.
Yana asks
How can a day last longer than a whole year?
Cover: artistic illustration. Spacecraft images and radar visualizations: credited NASA mission data.