Venus

The second planet from the sun in our solar system. Venus is one of the terrestrial planets and forms part of the inner solar system. It is only slightly smaller than the Earth.

Venus has a very thick atmosphere. The atmosphere is so dense that Venus is perpetually covered by clouds. Hence, the surface is permanently shielded from direct view. The clouds can only be penetrated by radio waves. The atmosphere of Venus is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide and this causes the planet to retain all of the heat that it receives from the Sun. This intense greenhouse effect means that the surface of the planet is at the incredibly high temperature of 450°K. In the higher layers of the planet's atmosphere, carbon dioxide is changed by the Sun's electromagnetic radiation. It is caused to react with the small amounts of sulphur and water present until it form droplets of dilute sulphuric acid. These droplets then condense and fall as rain onto the planet.

The surface of Venus shows definite evidence of past volcanic activity but it is uncertain as to whether this volcanic activity is still taking place or not.

Venus has no natural satellites.

Venus rotates about its axis in a clockwise or retrograde direction, compared with most other Solar System bodies which have anti-clockwise orbits.

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Equatorial diameter	12103000	m	Clip
Average Density	5250	kgm-3	Clip
Axial tilt	2	degrees	Clip
Rotational period	243.01	hours	Clip
Average surface temperature	464	°C	Clip
Maximum apparent magnitude	-4.4		Clip
Aphelion	109000000000	m	Clip
Perihelion	107400000000	m	Clip
Orbital tilt	3.39	degrees	Clip
Orbital period	224.7d	y=Earth year, d=Earth day	Clip

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See also: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Solar System, Sun, Uranus.

Weblinks:
• NASA Photographic Library Photographs from NASA available for viewing and download.