A day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days, longer than its year, which is 225 Earth days. Due to its slow rotation, a Venus day from sunrise to sunset takes 117 Earth days.
Venus, often called Earth's twin, is anything but. It spins in the opposite direction compared to Earth. Hence, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east on this planet.
With temperatures reaching 900°F (475°C) and no seasonal changes due to its almost vertical tilt of 3 degrees, Venus is a furnace. Earth’s 23-degree tilt gives us seasons, but Venus offers no such respite.
Venus and Earth formed from the same swirling gas and dust 4.6 billion years ago. Both once had oceans and shared many similarities. However, Earth thrived with life while Venus, often called its evil twin, became an inferno.
Both Venus and Earth share similar internal structures, with an iron core, hot-rock mantle, and a thin rocky crust. Venus’ surface is dynamic with volcanic activity, much like Earth, reshaping the thin outer layer.
Venus is dotted with thousands of volcanoes. Notable features include Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra, named for mythological women, and a massive mountain towering 36,000 feet (11 km), higher than Mt. Everest.
Venus has the hottest surface of any planet in the solar system, dominated by carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid clouds. This extreme greenhouse effect makes Venus even hotter than Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.
Despite a similar-sized iron core to Earth, Venus lacks a self-generated magnetic field. Instead, it has an induced magnetic field created by the interaction between the Sun’s magnetic field and Venus’ ionosphere.
Soviet probes from 1961-1984 captured the first photos of Venus’ barren surface. Despite extreme conditions, some probes survived for up to two hours, revealing rocky landscapes under sulphur-yellow skies. India's ISRO will launch Venus Orbiter Mission in 2028.