Venus is Earth’s neighbor planet, but its character is completely different. It’s called the morning star or evening star because it often appears very bright in the morning or evening.

*Quick facts:*
1. *Extreme heat*: Its temperature can reach 460 degrees Celsius. It’s the hottest planet in the solar system, beating Mercury even though Mercury is closer to the sun. The cause is a severe greenhouse effect, with the atmosphere covered by a very thick layer of carbon dioxide.
2. *Backward rotation*: Venus rotates in the opposite direction from other planets. Also, a day on Venus is longer than a year. A Venusian day is 243 Earth days, while its year is only 225 Earth days. Weird, right?
3. *Toxic atmosphere*: It’s mostly carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds. So if you go there without a special spacesuit, you won’t make it.
4. *Called Earth’s twin*: Its size and gravity are similar to Earth. But its conditions are like hell. That’s why there are many missions to check it out, like Magellan, Venus Express, and NASA’s planned VERITAS mission.