Position - second from the sun

Distance from sun - (nearest) 108 million km (furthest) 109 million km (average) 108.5 million km

Minimum distance from Earth - 42 million km

Diameter - 12,100 km

Satellites - none

Atmosphere - very, very dense Carbon dioxide

Surface Temperature - up to 480 ^oC

Length of Day (time taken to rotate once) - 117 Earth days

Length of Year (time taken to go round the Sun) - 225 Earth days

Comments - Venus is very similar in size and composition to the Earth. It is a rocky planet, like Earth, but it has a very dense atmosphere of Carbon dioxide clouds. These clouds are thicker than water and cover the whole planet. The thick clouds trap heat from the sun making Venus the hottest of all the planets - it is the Greenhouse Effect gone mad.

Major Features - The clouds that cover Venus are so thick that we only know about the surface of Venus from radar. Most of the planet is covered in dusty plains but there are some areas of mountains. The tallest mountain is 12 km high - half as big again as Mt Everest.

Seeing Venus from Earth - Venus is the brightest thing in the sky after the Sun and the Moon - it is sometimes seen the Evening Star as it is only above the horizon for a few hours after the sun sets, or the Morning Star when it rises just before the Sun.

Getting There - Man has sent lots of probes to Venus, but the first ones only took photographs and so could only see clouds. The Magellan probe sent in 1990-92 mapped Venus with radar. Some Russian probes have tried to land on Venus but they have usually failed because of the enormous temperatures. Only one has sent back any useful information.