Venus

The brightest of the planets, Venus can easily be seen as an evening and a morning star. It is the second planet from the Sun. It is about the same size as the Earth and has an atmosphere, giving it a bright appearance.

The atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide. The surface of the planet is very hot because of the greenhouse effect.

Most of the surface consists of vast plains, but there are several large highland regions several kilometers high. There are recent impact craters and volcanoes, although no evidence has been found of any active ones.

Image of Venus by NASA/JPL