10 Need-to-Know Things About Venus Pdf Worksheet

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and our closest planetary neighbor. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction from most planets. Its thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Glimpses below the clouds reveal volcanoes and deformed mountains.

1. EARTH-SIZED

If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, the Earth and Venus would each be about the size of a nickel.

2. SECOND ROCK

Venus orbits our Sun, a star. Venus is the second closest planet to the sun at a distance of about 67 million miles (108 million km).

3. A DAY LONGER THAN A YEAR

One day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days because Venus spins backwards, with its sun rising in the west and setting in the east.