| Proper Name | Venus | | Orbital Period | 224.70 days | | Distance from the Sun | Semi-Major Axis: 108,209,000 km (0.72 AU)
Perihelion: 107,476,000 km (0.72 AU)
Aphelion: 108,942,000 km (0.73 AU) | | Eccentricity | 0.0068 | | Rotation Period | 243 days, 0 hours, 32 minutes | | Diameter | 12,103 km | | Mean Surface Temperature | 737 K (464°C) | | Moons | None | | Parent star | The Sun, yellow dwarf | | Other planets in this system | Mercury, terrestrial planet
Earth, terrestrial planet
Mars, terrestrial planet
Jupiter, gas giant
Saturn, gas giant
Uranus, ice giant
Neptune, ice giant
Numerous dwarf planets, asteroids and other bodies
| | Notes | The second planet of the Solar System from the Sun, Venus shines as the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. Its surface is permanently obscured by an unbroken layer of sulphur dioxide clouds. |
Because Venus' orbit is closer to the Sun than the Earth's, it never appears far from the Sun in the Earth's sky. This effect means that the brilliant planet is most often seen in the hours before dawn, or after sunset, giving it the names of Morning and Evening Star.
A beautiful and brilliant sight in the evening or morning sky, Venus is actually an inhospitable world, with 'rain' composed of sulphuric acid, and a surface temperature of more than 400°C.
A pleasant day on Venus: the landscape bakes in temperatures hot enough to melt tin. Nearby, stirred by the wind,a lake of sulphuric acid froths.
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