Expand your mind with these top eight facts about the planet Venus. 1. A day on Venus is longer than a year It takes Venus longer to rotate once on its axis than to complete one orbit of the Sun. That’s 243 Earth days to rotate once – the longest rotation of any planet in the Solar System – and only 224.7 Earth days to complete an orbit of the Sun. 2. Venus is hotter than Mercury – despite being further away from the Sun Its mean temperature is 462°C. This is because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in Venus’ atmosphere, which works to produce an intense greenhouse effect. Heat is trapped in the atmosphere like a blanket, causing the temperature of the planet to be much higher than its proximity to the Sun would suggest. 3. Unlike the other planets in our solar system, Venus spins clockwise on its axis All other planets spin anti-clockwise on their axis and orbit the Sun in an anti-clockwise direction. Venus also orbits the Sun anti-clockwise, but its unusual axis rotation is due to being upside down – it was knocked off its upright position earlier in its history! Venus Phase Evolution © Roger Hutchinson, Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017 Astronomers believe that at some point, a colliding celestial body tilted Venus so far off its original position that it is now upside down. The only other planet to spin in a weird direction is Uranus which spins on its side, probably the result of another collision early on in its life. 4. Venus is the second brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon The clouds of sulphuric acid in Venus’ atmosphere make it reflective and shiny, obscuring our view of its surface. Its brightness makes it visible even during the day – if it’s clear and you know where to look. Heavenly Neighbours © Saber Karimi, Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017 5. Venus has 90 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth That’s about the same as the pressure found at a depth of 1km in the Earth's oceans. 6. Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty It is thought that Venus was named after the beautiful Roman goddess (counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite) due to its bright, shining appearance in the sky. Of the five planets known to ancient astronomers, it would have been the brightest. 7. Venus was the first planet to have its motions plotted across the sky, as early as the second millennium BC Because Venus is easy to spot with the naked eye, it is impossible to say who discovered the planet. But over the centuries we have been able to measure Venus’ motions, including the rare transit of Venus, when the planet appears to cross in front of the Sun. The Transit of Venus © Paul Haese, Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2012 8. We tend to say ‘Venusian’ not ‘Venerian’ Following the rules of Latin, we should say ‘venerean’ as the adjective to describe things related to Venus. However, this is deemed to be too close to the word ‘venereal’. The more commonly used word is ‘Venusian’ despite its clunky etymology. Never miss a shooting star Sign up to our space newsletter for exclusive astronomy highlights, night sky guides and out-of-this-world events. Sign up Astronomy Photographer of the Year See the biggest astrophotography competition in the world Find out more Historic site Royal Observatory Visit the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the Prime Meridian of the world and London’s only Planetarium Visit now Tickets Plan your visit Plan your visit to the Royal Observatory Find out more Inspiration Top things to do From historic clocks and telescopes to cutting edge astronomy, find all there is to see at the home of Greenwich Mean Time Find out more Shop Planisphere & 2023 Guide to the Night Sky Britain and Ireland Book Set £18.00 The perfect companions for a night of stargazing. Available for the special price of £18.00 when purchased together. The Planisphere is an easy-to-use practical tool helps any astronomers identify the constellations and stars for every day of the year... Buy Now Shop Royal Observatory Greenwich Illuminates Astronomy Guides Set of 2 from £18.00 Special Price. Save £1.98 when you purchase two astronomy titles from the Royal Observatory Greenwich Illuminates guides together... Buy Now Shop Royal Observatory Greenwich FirstScope 76 Celestron Telescope £89.99 It doesn’t get much simpler or more portable than the Celestron FirstScope’s tabletop Dobsonian design. Just remove it from the box, insert an eyepiece, and you’re ready to view the Moon, planets, nebulae, and more! This high quality Dobsonian style stand with its 76 mm reflector optical tube make the FirstScope an ideal entry level astronomical telescope... Buy Now Main image courtesy of NASA