1. Venus is the closest planet to Earth. It is surrounded by a layer of very dense clouds. The surface temperature of the planet is heated to +470°C, with a much higher percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than in mountain rocks, due to its proximity to the Sun, resulting in this temperature-raising effect. Lightning storms on Venus are more intense than those on Earth.
2. Often referred to as Earth's "sister," Venus shares similar sizes and masses with Earth, but significant differences exist in their atmospheres and surfaces. While Earth is mostly covered in oceans, water is virtually nonexistent on Venus.
3. Scientists speculate that Venus's surface was once covered with oceans, but a significant increase in temperature within Venus caused all the oceans to evaporate, and the vapor was carried away into space by solar winds.
4. Unlike most planets in the solar system, Venus rotates in the opposite direction, from east to west, instead of west to east. Its rotation period around Earth is 146 days, while its own axial rotation takes 243 days.
5. Fully exploring Venus's surface became possible only with the advent of radar methods, revealing large highlands comparable in size to Earth's continents. Approximately 90% of its surface is covered in solidified lava.
6. Venus features numerous craters, formed during a time when the atmospheric density was significantly lower. Today, the surface pressure on Venus is about 93 atm.
7. Weak winds blow on the planet's surface, but they become extremely strong, reaching about 300 meters per second, as altitude increases to 50 km.
8. Thunderstorms occur in Venus's atmosphere, extending up to 250 km, happening twice as frequently as on Earth.
9. Venus's atmosphere is composed of 96% carbon dioxide and only 4% nitrogen, with other elements virtually absent. Oxygen content does not exceed 0.1%, and water vapor accounts for no more than 0.02%.
10. Venus is easily visible to the naked eye, especially an hour after sunset and about an hour before sunrise, due to its dense atmosphere reflecting light. With a telescope, one can easily observe changes in the visible phase of the disk.
11. Venus transits across the Sun's disk occur approximately every 250 years, with the next one expected in December 2117.
