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, which is one Venus year. 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.