Venus

Venus, second planet from the sun, is the brightest planet in our solar system.

Related Topics: Mercury, Earth, Mars 

Latest Updates

Venus will shine bright in the April 2023 night sky, as it often does.

April delights: Mercury, Venus and the Pleiades put on a sky show this month

By Joe Rao published

From now through mid-April, Venus will help you to identify the normally hard-to-find planet Mercury. And along the way, Venus will have a striking interaction with the Pleiades star cluster.

Venus Passes Uranus

See Venus meet up with Uranus in the sky tonight (March 31)

By Robert Lea published

The solar system's hottest planet (Venus) and its coldest one (Uranus) will be in conjunction tonight (March 31), offering a rare opportunity for skywatchers.

an illustration of a spacecraft in orbit above venus with its solar panel arrays extended

NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

NASA's decision to indefinitely postpone the highly anticipated VERITAS mission to Venus has outraged and confused the team members.

Planetary alignment on Mar. 27, 2023.

Watch a 5 planet parade today with this free telescope livestream

By Brett Tingley published

The Virtual Telescope Project will be streaming "Five Planets at a glance" on March 28, offering a view of this planetary parade from Rome.

graphic from Starry Night software showing the faintly illuminated young moon below Venus shining brightly.

Look up! See Venus shine next to the young moon tonight

By Joe Rao published

On Thursday, March 23, Venus will shine close to the slender slither of the young moon, providing an eye-catching sight in the night sky.

Maat Mons is displayed in this computer generated three-dimensional perspective of the surface of Venus. The viewpoint is located 393 miles (634 kilometers) north of Maat Mons at an elevation of 2 miles (3 km) above the terrain. Lava flows extend for hundreds of kilometers across the fractured plains shown in the foreground, to the base of Maat Mons. 

Active volcano spotted on Venus. The planet's not dead yet.

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Scientists studying data sent home by NASA's Magellan spacecraft in the early 1990s say they have found an active volcano on Venus.

two bright planets in the night sky. one is surrounded by a few bright points of light

Watch 'kissing' planets Venus and Jupiter go their separate ways in night sky

By Robert Lea published

Venus and Jupiter end their close approach to one another and are now moving in separate directions.

A 10-image collage showing Jupiter and Venus moving toward one another. The sky is a different color in each panel of the collage.

See Jupiter and Venus dance across the twilight sky in this amazing photo collage

By Brett Tingley published

A stunning image shows what the photographer calls "10 Days of Nearness" between Jupiter and Venus, spanning from Feb. 21 to March 2, 2023.

An illustration of the night sky on March 1 showing the proximity of Venus and Jupiter.

Don't miss Venus and Jupiter shine super close in the night sky. They won't be closer until 2032!

By Joe Rao published

You can catch an incredibly close view of these worlds for 2 hours after sunset tonight (March 1).

An illustration of the night sky on March 1 showing the proximity of Venus and Jupiter.

Venus and Jupiter get so close they nearly 'kiss' in the night sky tonight. Here's how to see it.

By Robert Lea last updated

Venus and Jupiter will meet up in the night sky on Wednesday (March 1) during a conclave of solar system record breakers, its hottest planet and its largest.

illustration of venus and jupiter in a circle on a diagram of the night sky. constellation figures surround the planets

Watch Venus and Jupiter come close to each other tonight and tomorrow in live webcasts

By Elizabeth Howell published

The Virtual Telescope Project will show the two planets meeting in the night sky on Wednesday (March 1) and Thursday (March 2). Here's how to watch.

venera venus missions

Venus grade: NASA seeks a lander battery tough enough to survive Earth's evil twin

By John Loeffler published

The surface of Venus is so extreme that even the best landers make it only a few hours before failing. NASA hopes a new type of battery will help.

An illustration of a large corona in Venus' southern hemisphere shows active volcanism shaping the planet's surface.

Venus has a squishy shell that might be key to its youthful look

By Robert Lea published

Earth's next-door neighbor Venus may have a "squishy" outer shell that gives the planet a "youthful" appearance and may reveal how it loses its interior heat, studies reveal.

Graphic showing the moon, Jupiter and Venus in the night sky at 7 p.m. local time on Feb. 22, 2023.

See the moon and Venus dance together in Wednesday evening's sky

By Stefanie Waldek published

On Wednesday (Feb. 22), the moon and Venus will make a close approach and also reach conjunction, which happens when they share the same right ascension.

The new moon meets Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest 'stars', in the sky on Feb. 22 early in the morning.

Watch the moon meet Venus and Jupiter in the sky tonight with free livestream

By Robert Lea published

The new moon meets Venus and Jupiter in the sky on Wednesday (Feb. 22) early in the morning and you can watch it live via the Virtual Telescope Project.

A photograph of a telescope in front of two bright objects in the night sky.

See a bright Venus and Jupiter hold a celestial meeting in the night sky this month

By Joe Rao published

Venus and Jupiter should make for a very striking visual spectacle, no doubt attracting the attention of even those who don't give more than a casual glance at the night sky.

The day side of Venus covered in clouds, as seen by Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft.

Chance encounters: Mercury probe and sun spacecraft provide new info about Venus

By Briley Lewis published

Data from BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter during Venus gravity assists reveal how a magnetic field protects the Venusian atmosphere.

An illustration of the night sky on Feb. 14 showing the close approach of Venus and Neptune.

Watch Venus snuggle up to Neptune for Valentine's Day tonight

By Robert Lea published

On Tuesday (Feb. 14), Venus and Neptune will join together in the night sky, and the pair will share an arrangement known as a conjunction the next day.

An illustration of the night sky on Jan. 24 showing Venus and Saturn below the crescent moon.

See Venus and Saturn together beneath the crescent moon tonight (Jan. 24)

By Brett Tingley published

Venus and Saturn will appear close together in the night sky on Tuesday (Jan. 24) beneath a crescent moon.

Venus as seen by Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft.

NASA scientist explains why Venus is Earth's 'evil twin' (video)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Scientists and engineers from NASA and the European Space Agency want to know a whole lot more about why Venus resembles Earth in so many ways, and yet is so strikingly different.