Venus

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun. Venus has a thick atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases. Since its atmosphere is so thick, it has been difficult to catch glimpses of Venus's surface. Venus has been considered as Earth's sister planet for many reasons. It is almost identical in size, chemistry, gravity and density as the Earth and is made up of almost the exact same types of materials as the Earth and in almost the same amounts. For example, Venus has volcanoes, mountains and sand. Since Venus and the Earth are almost the exact same size, you would weigh almost exactly the same on either planet. Even though Venus and Earth have similarities, Venus is very deadly due to the high temperature of its surface. Also, since its atmosphere contains mostly carbon dioxide, Venus is considered a very toxic planet. Also, Venus does not have an ozone layer like Earth does which has caused its surface to become very dry and almost completely without water. Venus's surface is covered with many volcanoes, but unlike the volcanoes on Earth, they do not erupt violently.
 * All About Venus**


 * Astronomy Mythology: ** Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty. In Greek, her name was Aphrodite.

**Fast Facts:** Mass: 81% of Earth Volume: 86% of Earth Distance from the Sun: 107 million kilometers 1 Orbit around the Sun: 224.701 days 1 Full Rotation: 243.16 days Average Temperature: 850 degrees F Moons: None

Venus rotates in the opposite direction than most other planets causing the sun to rise in the West and set in the East.
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