Venus - Physical Characteristics

Basic Data:

Radius: 6050 km (0.95 R_Earth)
Mass: 4.9x10²⁴ kg (0.83 M_Earth)
Distance from Sun: 0.72 AU
"Earth's Twin" (?)

At greatest elongation, Venus is 47 degrees away from Sun: much easier to see than Mercury. It's closer to Earth, and reflects more of the Sun's light --> very bright. Often referred to as the morning star or evening star. (Look now low on the western sky right after sunset).

Why does it reflect so much light? covered in clouds

Orbital Period: 224.7 days

Rotation Period: hard to determine until radar reflection techniques were developed (why?). Now determined to be 243 days. And it rotates in retrograde fashion!

Interior Clues:

Mean density similar to that of the Earth
No magnetic field
Volcanic surface features exist

Lots of theories and ideas, but more data is needed to construct a complete picture of Venus' interior...