Venus
CosMos Astronomy - Southern Hemisphere
"Thou fair-haired Angel of the Evening,
Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains,
Light thy bright torch of love -- thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon your evening bed!
Smile on our loves; and, while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silvery dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep."
(William Blake 1757-1827)
VENUS DATA
Distance from Sun:
Aphelion 108,942,109 km
Perihelion 107,476,259 km
Equatorial Diameter:
12,100 km
Mass:
4.868 5Ă—1024 kg
(0.815 Earths)
Composition:
~96.5% Carbon dioxide
~3.5% Nitrogen
0.015% Sulfur dioxide
0.007% Argon
0.002% Water vapor
0.001 7% Carbon monoxide
0.001 2% Helium
0.000 7% Neon
trace elements Carbonyl sulfide, Hydrogen chloride,
Hydrogen fluoride
Moons:
0
Orbital Period:
224.68 days
Rotational Period:
244.3 days
Apparent magnitude:
-4.9 to -3.8
Angular diameter:
9.7" to 66.0"
Details of rise and set as well as relevant monthly information can be found on the Sky This Month page.
Transit of Venus across the Sun 6th June 2012 (copyright R. Moss)
Videos:
Venus (Part 1) - Solar system in pictures. The images of Venus, the second planet from the Sun in our Solar system. Taken by Magellan & MESSENGER.
Venus (Part 2) - Solar system in pictures. The images of Venus, the second planet from the Sun in our Solar system. Taken by Magellan and Venera 9, 10, 13 & 14.
PAST SPACECRAFT MISSIONS