Venus
Venus
Planet · 0.72 AU from the Sun
Venus facts
- Type
- Planet
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.72 AU (1.08 × 10⁸ km)
- Orbital period (year)
- 225 Earth days
- Diameter
- 12,104 km
- Mass
- 4.87 × 10²⁴ kg
- Moons
- 0
- Rotation period (day)
- 243.0 Earth days (retrograde)
- Axial tilt
- 177.4°
- Mean temperature
- 464 °C
- Discovered
- Known to the ancients
Orbit
About Venus
Venus is the second planet and the hottest, wrapped in a thick carbon-dioxide atmosphere that traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect. It spins backwards and so slowly that its day is longer than its year. It is the brightest planet in our sky.
- Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty
- Discovered: Known to the ancients
Venus: frequently asked questions
- What is Venus?
- Venus is a planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun at an average distance of 0.72 AU (1.08 × 10⁸ km). Venus is the second planet and the hottest, wrapped in a thick carbon-dioxide atmosphere that traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect.
- How far is Venus from the Sun?
- Venus orbits the Sun at an average distance of 0.72 AU, about 1.08 × 10⁸ km. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance, so Venus is roughly 0.72 of Earth's distance from the Sun.
- How long is a year on Venus?
- Venus takes 225 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun. By Kepler's third law, bodies farther from the Sun take longer to go around.
- How many moons does Venus have?
- Venus has no moons.
- How big is Venus?
- Venus has a diameter of about 12,104 km and a mass of roughly 4.87 × 10²⁴ kg.
See Venus in motion
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.