Our neighbour planet Venus
Venus is generally called the twin planet of the Earth as the Earth and the Sun have about the same size and substance. Venus is the second planet of our solar system if one starts from the sun. It has been named after Venus the Goddess of Love from Roman mythology. |
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| Facts about Venus |
 Venus may be easily observed in the sky. As Venus is closer than the Earth to the Sun, Venus is never far from the sky, when viewed from the Earth. The planet is therefore often seen as a bright star just before sunrise or sunset. |
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| Earlier space probes to Venus |
 The first space vehicle visiting Venus was Mariner 2 in 1962. After this Venus has been visited by a number of vehicles, more than 20 all together, among others Venera 7 which was the first vehicle to land on another planet. |
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| The space probe Venus Express |
 The European space probe Venus Express was launched 9th November 2005 from Baikonur in Kasakhstan. This is the first European space probe going to investigate our closest neighbour planet. The probe spent 5 months on its journey to Venus. |
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