Venus Planet Facts: Secrets of Earth’s Twin

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

What Did NASA Recently Find About Venus?

In October 2025, NASA released unprecedented images and data from recent Venus missions. New radar and atmospheric scans revealed extensive cloud layers with signs of abundant water vapor and active volcanic flows across certain plains. These fresh discoveries have dramatically improved understanding of Venus’s geology.

Venus: The Second Planet from the Sun

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, located about 108.2 million km away. It is often visible from Earth with the naked eye and is known as the “Morning Star” or “Evening Star” because of its brightness.
Named after the Roman goddess of beauty and love, Venus is a terrestrial (rocky) planet, much like Earth, Mars, and Mercury.

Key Facts About Venus:

Did you know? Venus rotates backwards — from east to west — unlike most other planets.

Why Is Venus Called Earth’s Twin?

Venus is often termed Earth’s twin because:

• Both have almost similar size, density, and mass.
• Both are rocky terrestrial planets.
• Both have thick atmospheres and volcanic features.

However, Venus differs in major aspects — its extreme heat, acidic atmosphere, and retrograde rotation make it inhospitable to life.

Why Is Venus the Brightest Planet in the Sky?

Venus has an albedo (reflectivity) of 0.75, meaning it reflects 75% of the sunlight that hits it.
Its thick cloud cover acts like a mirror, making it the brightest object after the Moon.
This is why ancient astronomers called it the Morning Star (Phosphorus) or Evening Star (Hesperus).

Geography of Venus: Landforms, Volcanoes, and Plains

Venus’s surface is covered with vast volcanic plains, mountain ranges, craters, and highlands.
The planet’s surface pressure is 92 times greater than Earth’s, and the thick clouds make it impossible to see with visible light. Instead, radar mapping (like NASA’s Magellan mission) has revealed its topography.

Major Geographical Features:

• Maxwell Montes: The tallest mountain on Venus, rising about 11 km high.
• Lakshmi Planum: A plateau surrounded by mountains, similar to Tibetan highlands.
• Aphrodite Terra & Ishtar Terra: Two major highland regions comparable to continents.
• Maat Mons: The largest volcano on Venus, possibly still active.
• Meitner Crater: One of the planet’s most prominent impact structures.

Fun Fact: About 80% of Venus’s surface is covered by volcanic rock, making it one of the most geologically active planets in the Solar System.

Atmosphere of Venus: A Runaway Greenhouse Effect

Venus’s atmosphere is its most defining feature — thick, toxic, and extremely hot. It consists mainly of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and clouds of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄).
This dense atmosphere traps sunlight through the runaway greenhouse effect, causing temperatures to soar above 475°C — hot enough to melt lead.

Key Atmospheric Layers:

1. Troposphere: Extends up to 65 km; dense CO₂ and acid clouds dominate.
2. Mesosphere: 65–120 km; temperature drops rapidly.
3. Thermosphere: Above 120 km; exposed to solar radiation.

Greenhouse Effect on Venus:

• Carbon dioxide traps heat efficiently.
• Thick clouds reflect sunlight but prevent heat escape.
• Result: Hottest planet in the Solar System, even hotter than Mercury.

Why Does Venus Rotate Backwards?

Unlike most planets that rotate counterclockwise, Venus rotates clockwise — a phenomenon known as retrograde rotation.
This might have occurred due to a massive collision early in its formation, altering its spin axis.
As a result:

• Venus’s day (243 Earth days) is longer than its year (225 Earth days).
• The Sun rises in the west and sets in the east on Venus.

Space Missions to Venus

Since the 1960s, several missions have studied Venus, revealing its surface and atmosphere.

Insight: The upcoming missions aim to understand why Venus and Earth evolved so differently, despite their similar beginnings.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Why is Venus hotter than Mercury despite being farther from the Sun?
Because its dense CO₂ atmosphere traps heat through the runaway greenhouse effect, raising surface temperatures to 475°C.

Q2. Why is Venus called Earth’s twin?
Due to its similar size, density, and composition — though environmental conditions are drastically different.

Q3. Can life exist on Venus?
No, due to extreme heat, crushing pressure, and acidic atmosphere. However, microbes might survive in the upper cloud layers.

Q4. Why does Venus appear so bright in the sky?
Its thick clouds reflect most sunlight, making it the brightest celestial body after the Moon.

Q5. What are upcoming missions to Venus?
NASA’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions will explore the planet’s surface and atmosphere in the late 2020s.

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• Exploring the Mission Chandrayaan : Unraveling the Secrets of the Moon
• NISAR Satellite: NASA–ISRO Mission, Features, and Geography Insights