Venus Facts
VENUS FACTS
The home of interesting Venus facts for kids and adults.
The Planet Venus Factfile
| Venus | |
|---|---|
| Position from the Sun | 2 |
| Diameter | 12,104 km |
| What is the mass? | 0.82 Earth |
| How many moons? | None |
| How long does it take to orbit the sun? | 225 days |
| Whats the temperature on Venus? | Up to 470°C |
| When was Venus discovered? | The earliest record was 17th Century BC |
| Who first discovered Venus? | Babylonian astronomers |
10 Facts about Venus you didn't know.
1. Hottest planet in the solar system
Although Venus is not the closest planet to the sun. It is in fact the hottest. This is due to its thick atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide and clouds of suphuric acid. This causes a greenhouse effect and makes Venus retain its heat. Temperatures on Venus rise to over 470°C.
Did you know?
Self cleaning ovens heat up to approximately 450°C. That makes Venus 4.3% hotter than a self cleaning oven.
2. Named after the Roman goddess of love.
In Greek mythology Venus was associated with Aphrodite. In all symbolism there has been connections with feminism, fertility and beauty.
Did you know?
Venus is the second brightest natural object in the sky after the Earth's moon. It can sometimes cast shadows and be visible to the naked eye in broad daylight.
3. Venus spins in the opposite direction to other planets.
Venus rotates clockwise while all other planets in our solar system rotate anticlockwise. The only other planet with a differing rotation is Uranus, this sits sideways on its axis.
Did you know?
Up until 1965 Scientists believed that Venus span the opposite direction to other planets because it was hit by a large Asteriod that changed its direction.
In 1970 Scientists proposed that Venus spins the same way it always has, although at some point it was turned upside down. This could have happened because of processes in Venus's interior and atmosphere.
4.The sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
Venus spins clockwise on its axis unlike other planets. This means the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. If you were to sit on Venus to watch sunrise you would be waiting a very long time.
Did you know?
A day or night on Venus lasts for 5,832 hours or 243 Earth days.
5. You would have to wait three years for a weekend.
A day on Venus is approximately 243 Earth Days long. It takes Venus longer to rotate once on its axis than to complete one orbit of the sun. Venus takes longer to rotate on its axis than any other planet in the solar system.
Did you know?
Venus rotates at approximately 6.53 km/h or 4.05 mph. The Earth rotates at 1,674.4 km/h or 1040.4 mph. Venus rotates on its axis at just 0.38% of the Earths speed.
6.Surface Pressure
The average surface pressure on Venus is approximately 95 times that of Earth. It is around 95 bars depending on your elevation.
Did you know?
95 bars is the same pressure you would experience at a depth of 1 km or 0.6 miles in Earths Oceans.
7. Only two spacecraft have successfully landed on Venus
The first successful landing on Venus was Venera 7 operated by the Soviet union on December 15th 1970. It continued contact with the Earth for 23 minutes.
On July 22, 1972 Venera 8 also a soviet spacecraft landed on the planet.
Did you know?
The first spaceship to actually touch down on Venus was an accident. On March 1, 1966 Venera 3 crash landed on Venus.
8. First planet to be explored by spacecraft.
On the 14th December 1962 the US successfully completed the first non-lunar planetary encounter to Venus using the Mariner 2 spacecraft.
Did you know?
In 1961 the Soviet Union attempted a fly by of Venus with spacecraft Venera 1 however, the spacecraft lost contact before flyby.
9. Clouds blow round the planet every five days
The wind at cloud level reaches speeds of up to 300 km/h, which equates to 186.4 mph. This pushes the clouds round the planet every four to five days.
Did you know?
The fastest wind speed on earth ever recorded was during the passage of the Tropical Cyclone Olivia on 10th April 1996. This was recorded at 408 km/h and equates to 253 mph.
10. There are tens of thousands of volcanoes
Venus's landscape comprises of mountains, valleys, and tens of thousands of volcanoes. The highest volcano, named Maxwell Montes is 8.8 kilometers tall. This is comparable to the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest.
Did you know?
The tallest volcano on Earth is Mauna Kea, from the base of the volcano on the ocean floor it is 10.05 Kilometers tall. Only 4.2 kilometers is visible above sea level. It is also home to the worlds largest astronomical observatory.
More about Venus
Venus has strong links to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. With that in mind, here are 10 facts about these ties and the mythological background (we sometimes use Venus and Aphrodite interchangeably, as they are essentially the same).
Find the most fun Solar system school projects for homework, or for school fetes and competitions.
There is no shortage of films that are set in space, almost all science fiction films are set away from Earth. Mars for instance has lots of big-screen love. Venus not so much.