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Earth's Veiled Twin The maid who modestly conceals Her beauties, while she hides, reveals; Give but a glimpse, and fancy draws Whate'er the Grecian Venus was. -- Edward Moore The Spider and the Bee |
Venus, Jewel of the Sky, is named after the Roman goddess of beauty and love. The second planet from the Sun, Venus is one of only two inferior planets (those closer to the Sun than the Earth is). Venus is commonly called Earth's sister planet, being strikingly similar in sizes, densities, masses, and volumes. A reason exists for this similarity: the two planets were formed out of the same nebula at the same time. Except for the Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the night sky. The planet's volcanically active surface is covered with dense clouds that keep its temperature at a scorching 482 degrees Celsius. Several probes and flyby missions have been sent by both the US and USSR. The most successful missions include the US Pioneer Venus (1978), USSR Venera 15 and 16 (1983) and the US Magellan (1990).
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Diameter: 12,100 km Density: 5,250 kg/m3 Period of Revolution about Sun: 0.62 Years* (225 Days) Orbital Inclination: 3.39o Orbital Eccentricity: 0.0068 * The approximation of 365.256 days per year is used. |
Location and Orbit Atmosphere and Magnetosphere The Surface Missions to Venus References & Links Quiz |