RED+-+McelhoneC

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**Size:**Venus is about 7,521 miles (12,104 kilometers) in diameter.

**Distance fro****m the sun:** The second planet from our star has an average distance from the Sun of 67 million miles (108 million km).

**Orbit around the Sun:** It takes 225 Earth days for Venus to go around the Sunone time.

**Surface:** The surface of Venus is covered with craters, mountains, volcanoes, and lava plains. Maxwell Montes is the highest point on Venus. It is more than 7 miles (11 km) high.

**Escape velocity:** To escape Venus's gravity, you have to travel 23,300 miles (37,500 km) per hour, compared to 25,000 miles (40,200 km) per hour necessary to escape Earth's gravity. **Atmosphere:** Possessing sulfuric acid clouds, the atmosphere of Venus is mostly ca rbon dioxide (96 percent), nitrogen (3.5 percent), and carbon monoxide, argon, sulfur dioxide, and water vapor (all less than 1 percent). The atmosphere is so thick and heavy that it bends light, making the appear to curve upward in all directions. The planet's atmosphere is ninety times heavier than Earth's. **Rot****ation:** Venus spins on its axis once every 243 Earth days, butit spins in the opposite direction of Earth. On Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east. **Temperature:** Venus's surface temperature can get close to 900° F(482°, hot enough to melt lead. This makes Venus the hottest place in the solar system after the Sun. || media type="custom" key="9880973" media type="custom" key="9881545" width="70" height="70"
 * **Temperature:** Venus's surface temperature can get close to 900° F (482° C), hot enough to melt lead. This makes Venus the hottest place in the solar system after the Sun.