VENUS – Planets in our solar system (2 of 9)
Distance from sun – 67 million miles
Distance from earth – 24 million miles (at the closet point)
Moons – 0
Diameter – 7520 miles (almost the same size as the earth)
Year (one orbit around the sun) – 224.7 days
Greek name – Aphrodite
Roman name – Venus
Mythology – Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The only objects in our Solar System brighter than Venus are the Sun and the Moon. Other civilizations have also associated the planet with love. The Babylonians called the planet Ishtar after their goddess of womanhood and love.