A global view of the surface of Venus.
Click on image for full size
NASA/JPL
Venus Inside and On Top
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and is Earth's closest
neighbor in the solar
system. Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun
and the Moon, and sometimes looks like a bright star in the morning or evening sky.
The planet is a little smaller than Earth, and is similar to Earth
inside.
We can't see the
surface of Venus from Earth, because it
is covered with thick clouds. However,
space missions to Venus have
shown us that its surface is covered with craters, volcanoes,
mountains, and big lava plains. The surface of
Venus is not where you'd like to be, with temperatures that can melt lead,
an atmosphere so thick it would crush
you, and clouds of sulfuric acid that smell
like rotten eggs to top it off!
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