Venus

Did you know that beneath Venus’s thick clouds lies a fascinating landscape? Radar images from the Magellan space probe reveal features like mountains and deep canyons.

Venus, Earth's nearest planetary neighbor, is similar in size to Earth, with 95% of Earth’s diameter and 82% of Earth’s mass.

It is covered in dense carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds, giving it a harsh, reddish-brown sky.

The atmosphere at Venus is 90 times thicker than Earth’s, trapping heat and making it the hottest planet, with surface temperatures reaching 860°F, hot enough to melt lead.

The planet’s surface features up to a million volcanoes, the most in the solar system. Although most volcanoes are inactive, the young surface hints at ongoing volcanic activity fueled by a hot interior.

Adding to its uniqueness, Venus rotates clockwise, taking 243 Earth days for one full rotation while completing its orbit around the Sun in 225 Earth days.

This peculiar motion, combined with its thick clouds, makes Venus the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon.