Look up at the night sky...
As the planet Venus twinkles brightly 
The planet Venus is the second-closest planet to the Sun and is the brightest of all natural objects in the night sky (other than the Moon). Because of its magnificent twinkle, Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
Also referred to as the Evening Star or Morning Star, Venus shines the brightest just before sunrise and just after sunset. These are the best times to get out that Telescope and catch a glimpse!
Although beautiful, humans would not be able to inhabit Venus, as the planet reaches temperatures higher than 840 degrees! The atmosphere is made up of very dense carbon dioxide, which locks in heat from the Sun.
Here are some additional facts about Venus: *Venus is also referred to as Earth's "sister planet" because its the closest planet to Earth and they are almost the same size.
*The planet has many large inactive volcanoes.
*One year on Venus is approximately 225 Earth days.
*Venus rotates in a direction opposite of all other planets and spins very slowly as it orbits. In fact, one day (rotation) on Venus is longer than it's own year (orbit around the Sun), lasting about 243 Earth days... how odd!
Return to the kids Solar System page!
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