Solar System: Planets: Venus

Venus is the closest planet to the Earth of all the planets in the Solar System. Yet it has been little visited by spacecrafts, mainly due to its very hostile environment. Some basic facts about Venus:

• Diameter of 12100 km
• Density of about 5200 kg/cubic meter
• Average distance from the Sun is 108.2 mil. km (0.7 AU)
• Orbital period of 225 days
• Rotational period of 243 days, retrograde rotation
• No moons
• Atmosphere: Carbon Dioxide (96%), Nitrogen (3%), Methane, Oxygen, etc (3%)
• Never-clearing clouds made up of sulfuric acid
• Atmospheric pressure about 95 atmospheres
• Surface temperature about 740 degrees Kelvin

Venus has very harsh conditions: extreme pressure of 95 atmospheres, sulfuric acid rain/clouds, and temperature of about 900 degrees Farenheit, which is the main reason for so little exploration of the closest planet to us in the Solar System.

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