- It takes 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis. The planet’s orbit around the Sun takes 225 Earth days, compared to the Earth’s 365.
- The Earth and Venus are very similar in size with only a 638 km difference in diameter, Venus having 81.5% of the Earth’s mass. Both also have a central core, a molten mantle and a crust.
- Only the Moon is brighter. With a magnitude of between -3.8 to -4.6 Venus is so bright it can be seen during daytime on a clear day.
- Early civilizations thought Venus was two different bodies, called Phosphorus and Hesperus by the Greeks, and Lucifer and Vesper by the Romans.
- The average surface temperature is 462 °C, and because Venus does not tilt on its axis, there is no seasonal variation.
- The dense atmosphere of around 96.5 percent carbon dioxide traps heat and causes a greenhouse effect.
- The dense clouds of sulfuric acid surrounding Venus make it impossible to view its surface from outside its atmosphere.
- It is thought Venus did once have oceans but these evaporated as the planets temperature increased.
- The Venera 1 space probe was launched in 1961, but lost contact with base. The USA also lost their first probe to Venus, Mariner 1, although Mariner 2 was able to take measurements of the planet in 1962.
- Also known as retrograde rotation. A possible reason might be a collision in the past with an asteroid or other object that caused the planet to alter its rotational path. It also differs from most other planets in our solar system by having no natural satellites.