Venus

Distance from Sun: 67,000,000 miles

Diameter: 7,519 miles--almost as big as Earth

Number of moons: 0

Length of year: 225 Earth days

Temperature: ~890°F

Venus is mainly made of rock, with a metal core. This drawing shows the surface of Venus as it looks below the thick clouds.

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It has thick yellow clouds made of acid, and air made of carbon dioxide. The temperature at the surface is so hot that you would burn up in a few seconds. Spacecraft that have reached the surface or can see through the clouds found lots of volcanoes, mountains, and big cracks at the surface.

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The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer