EVERYLAUNCH // PLANETARY FIX
Venus is 47 million km away
That’s 0.31 astronomical units, and its light takes 2.6 minutes to reach you. The figure is worked out for right now. Venus’s distance from Earth keeps changing, so an average would be wrong on almost every day.
COMPUTED 2026-11-11 06:29:30Z · RECOMPUTED EVERY 15 MINUTES
Drag the globe to spin it, or use the view buttons. The shaded side is night, set from the real angle between the Sun, Venus and Earth. Surface features are drawn at their real coordinates. We don't work out which side faces Earth right now, so the side you see is just where you've turned it.
Right now
- DISTANCE
- 0.31 AU
- 47 million km · 29 million mi
- NEXT CLOSEST
- June 1, 2028
- 43 million km · 27 million mi, computed
- LIGHT TIME
- 2.6 min
- one way
- BRIGHTNESS
- -4.5
- naked eye
- APPARENT SIZE
- 53.3″
- 34× smaller than the Moon
- LIT
- 10%
- of the disc
- FROM THE SUN
- 26°
- angular separation
- IN THE SKY
- morning
- rises before the Sun
- SUN DISTANCE
- 0.72 AU
- its own orbit
What Venus is like
The hottest surface of any planet. It's hotter than Mercury even though it's further from the Sun.
- TEMPERATURE
- +464 °CMean, at the surface
- PRESSURE
- 92 bar92 bar, about the same as 900 m under the sea on Earth
- WINDS
- 360 km/hFastest sustained winds recorded
- ONE DAY
- 117 Earth daysSunrise to sunrise
- ATMOSPHERE
- 96.5% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen, sulphuric-acid cloud
PUBLISHED REFERENCE VALUES FROM NASA FACT SHEETS · NOT LIVE READINGS · NO SPACECRAFT REPORTS LIVE WEATHER FROM VENUS
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Common questions
How far away is Venus right now?
Venus is 47 million kilometres (29 million miles) from Earth right now. That's 0.31 astronomical units, or 3 light-minutes. The figure keeps changing as both planets move. This page works it out fresh instead of quoting an average, because an average is wrong on almost every day.
When is Venus closest to Earth?
Venus's next closest approach is around June 1, 2028, at about 43 million kilometres (27 million miles). It's worked out to the nearest day from the same orbit model as the live figure on this page.
Can I see Venus tonight?
Yes, with the naked eye. Venus is at magnitude -4.5 and 26 degrees from the Sun. It's in the morning sky and rises before the Sun. Look for a point of light that doesn't twinkle.
How long does light take to reach us from Venus?
2.6 minutes right now. You always see Venus as it was that long ago. The delay changes as the distance does, and right now there are 47 million kilometres between us.
How hot is Venus?
+464°C on average, measured at the surface. 92 bar, about the same as 900 m under the sea on Earth. That's a published reference value, not a live reading. No spacecraft sends live weather from Venus right now.
How big does Venus look from Earth?
53.3 arcseconds across right now. The full Moon is about 1,800 arcseconds, so Venus looks about 34 times smaller than the Moon. That's why it's just a point of light without a telescope.