Venus (planet)

Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is Ishtar's home world.

Orbit and Rotation
Venus has a semi-major axis of 108,208,000 km. Its orbit is nearly circular with slight eccentricity. Its distance gives it an orbital period of 224.7 Earth-days.

Venus has an axial tilt of 177.36 degrees to its orbital plain. This mean it rotates retrograde compared to the other planets. It's sidereal day, relative to the stars, is 243.025 Earth-days, while its solar day is a little more than half that. Its lazy rotation also makes it much rounder than the other planets due to a lack of centripetal force.

Physical Properties
Venus is similar in mass, density, and composition to Earth. It's diameter is 12,092 km, just 650 km smaller than Earth. It has a mass of 81.5 Earth-masses and a density of 5.3 g/cm3, the third densest in the solar system after Mercury and Earth.

Venus' internal structure is still a mystery, though it is thought to be similar to Earth.

Surface Properties
Venus' average surface temperature is 864 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface itself is 92% smooth flatlands, the highest percentage of any planet in the solar system. The two continents, Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra, make up the remaining 8%. The flatlands are still covered in sharp, basaltic rocks.

Most of the flatlands are volcanic plains which contribute to the smooth appearance. Even the tallest peaks are relatively flat with little to no sharp rise compared to Earth's peaks. This would make Venus perfet for agriculture if it wasn't the inferno it is.

Daylight is similar to a cloudy day on Earth, while night is completely dark with little if any light.

Atmosphere and Weather
The Venusian atmosphere is over 90 times denser than Earth's and is made primarily of carbon dioxide. This is what is responsible for the runaway greenhouse effect that toasted the planet.

Yes, it does rain on Venus, (sulfuric acid instead of water), but it's so hot that the droplets evaporate before they can reach the ground. Lightning is also a common sight, but can't strike the ground due to the atmospheric density. The density of the air is also what makes the winds on the surface act like a strong gale even though they only move at 4 kmph.

History
Early in its recorded history, Venus was much different from what it is today. It was green with plants and had large, shallow oceans where aquatic life flourished. This is the Venus many tell stories about.

At some point, Maxwell grasped the reigns of power and declared himself supreme ruler of the planet. His new dictatorship began to torture the planet and its inhabitants; the problem only grew worse when a long, bloody war broke out over control of Venus. Ultimately, Maxwell and his army was defeated and imprisoned deep inside the planet where they could do no harm, but the damage was already done.

The rising temperatures boiled away the oceans and a massive surge in volcanic activity poisoned the atmosphere. The clouds covered the planet, increasing the pressure and temperature to their present levels. The Venusians easily adapted to the new climate as they've always been able to do, but the remaining life perished.

Aphrodite ruled over the struggling race to the present day, but it was her daughter, Ishtar, who wound up saving her people. She found space probes in the midlands which led to the discovery that the Venusians weren't alone. When the Dog Stars arrived, Ishtar brought them down and, with their help, defeated Maxwell a second time after he attempted to retake Venus. Since then, Ishtar has fallen in love with Jersey, on of the new Dog Star members.