Let's Find and Learn About the Planet Venus

Observing the night sky will be a challenge for the next couple of months. You may have noticed lately that the sun doesn't set until after 8:00 PM and the sky still isn't completely dark at 9:00 PM. The time between sunset and darkness (or darkness and sunrise) is called twilight. It's that time when it isn't really light and it isn't really dark. You can't see much in the night sky if it isn't dark unless you are looking for the planet Venus, which is visible during twilight. About 20 to 30 minutes after sunset, go outside and face to the west and slightly north (a little to your right). Look near the horizon for Venus shining brightly. How soon into twilight can you spot Venus?

Venus is the second planet from the sun. It has no moons. It rotates east to west, which is the opposite direction of all the other planets in our solar system, including Earth. Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis once a day, while it takes Venus 243 earth days to do the same. Earth orbits the sun in one year or 365 days, while Venus does the same in 225 Earth days. A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus!

Venus is often called Earth's twin planet. It is closer in distance to Earth than any other planet. Venus and Earth are close in size, also:

• Earth is 12,756 kilometers (7,926 miles) in diameter
• Venus is 12,104 kilometers (7,521 miles) in diameter.

Both planets were formed at the same time and are composed of similar materials. It was thought that Venus was just like Earth with oceans and green forests. Venus has a cloud cover that is so dense that not even the most powerful earthbound telescopes could see through to its surface. The truth about Venus remained hidden until space probes investigated the planet. Venus is dry and very hot with temperatures of 460 degrees C (870 F). Instead of oceans or green forests, there are the remnants of volcanoes, vast lava plains, and over 900 impact craters.

Venus is the third brightest object in our night sky after the sun and the moon. That is why we can see it easily during twilight whenever it is above the horizon. Venus will be joined by other planets in the night sky during June. But for now, it is the only planet low in the west. Go on out and discover Venus before dark.

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