Venus is sometimes known as Earth’s evil twin — and boy, oh boy, does it earn the nickname.
This second planet from the sun has roughly the same size and internal structure as our own. But that’s about where the similarities end. Venus is easily the hottest planet in our solar system. Its thick atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide traps heat from the sun in a runaway greenhouse effect. This makes the planet’s surface sweltering. It’s hot enough there to melt lead.
Venus’ super dense atmosphere also results in a truly staggering air pressure at the surface. In fact, the atmospheric pressure on Venus is about 90 times that on Earth. If you were to stand on Venus, the atmosphere weighing down on you would feel like having a car sit on your thumbnail, according to the Planetary Society.
If that weren’t bad enough, Venus is riddled with an estimated 85,000 volcanoes — some of which may be active. And its clouds swirl with sulfuric acid.
The wildest part is, Venus might not have always been like this. Scientists suspect that once upon a time, the planet had oceans. It might have even had a climate similar to Earth’s and could have supported life. Scientists are still trying to explain how such a lush world could have become the infernal wasteland we see today.
Some researchers are learning new things about Venus by looking at old spacecraft data. NASA’s Magellan mission visited the planet in the 1990s. Scientists have recently used its data to answer questions about volcanic and other geological activity on Venus.
NASA is also planning two new missions to explore Venus. VERITAS will send a spacecraft to orbit the planet and map its surface in 3-D. The spacecraft will look for evidence of plate tectonics and scout out Venus’ volcanism.
The second mission is called DAVINCI. That mission will send a probe down into Venus’ atmosphere. The probe will collect imagery and data on the atmosphere’s chemical makeup, temperatures, winds and more as it descends.
Neither of these missions is scheduled to even launch until the 2030s. But someday, these and other spacecraft might help piece together Venus’ origin story.
Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:
The surface of Venus is morphing The geology behind this reshaping may be similar to the plate tectonics on Earth’s surface. (7/23/2025) Readability: 6.7
Active volcanoes may be common on Venus Decades-old radar images reveal signs of relatively fresh lava flows there. (7/17/2024) Readability: 6.4
Thick atmosphere boosts how fast Venus spins Planet’s rotational speed can change based on how air flows over mountain tops. (7/23/2018) Readability: 7.3
Explore more
Explainer: All about carbon dioxide
Explainer: Global warming and the greenhouse effect
Here’s why Venus is so unwelcoming
So many wondrous moons — just a spaceship ride away
Venus has almost 50 times as many volcanoes as previously thought (from Science News)
Flashes in Venus’ atmosphere might be meteors, not lightning (from Science News)
Activities
Explore a simulated view of Venus using NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System program. This simulator uses real data and images from NASA missions to display a 3-D model of the solar system, which you can use to survey Venus and other planets.
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