Although it is the second closest planet to the sun, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. The reason Venus is even hotter than Mercury is because it has a thick, dense cloud layer. Venus is the planet most similar to Earth in size and mass, but its atmosphere presents large differences in the temperatures of the two planets.
The atmosphere of Venus is made up of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Also, most of the hydrogen evaporated during the planet’s formation, leaving a thick atmosphere around it. Venus’s average temperature is 462 degrees Celsius, although it changes as you travel through the atmosphere. Temperatures are coldest in the upper part of the atmosphere, ranging from minus 43 to minus 173 degrees Celsius.
On the other hand, on the surface of the planet it can reach 467 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, lead could melt on the planet’s surface, since its melting temperature is 327 degrees Celsius.
Constant temperature
The temperature on Venus remains constant over time. For one thing, it takes 243 days for the planet to rotate once on its axis (and it rotates backwards, as the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east). Also, the nights on Venus are as warm as the days.
On the other hand, Venus has a very small tilt (3.39 degrees relative to the Sun) as opposed to 23.4 degrees on Earth. On our planet, this inclination is what gives us the change of seasons, since the hemisphere closest to the Sun feels the heat of spring and summer. This lack of tilt on Venus also causes slight temperature variations from the equator to the poles.
