Venus vs Mars
| Venus | Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Radius | 6,051.8 km (95% of Earth) | 3,389.5 km (53% of Earth) |
| Mass | 4.87 × 10²⁴ kg (81% of Earth) | 6.39 × 10²³ kg (10.7% of Earth) |
| Day length | 243 Earth days (retrograde) | 24 h 37 min (very Earth-like) |
| Year length | 225 Earth days | 687 Earth days |
| Surface temperature | 467 °C (hot enough to melt lead) | −63 °C average |
| Atmosphere | 96.5% CO₂, 92 bar pressure | 95% CO₂, 0.006 bar |
| Distance from Earth at closest | 38 million km | 55 million km (at opposition) |
| Surface visited by landers | Soviet Venera 13 (1981, 127 min) | Sojourner 1997, MERs, Curiosity 2012, Perseverance 2021 |
| Apparent magnitude (brightest) | −4.92 | −2.91 (close opposition) |
Verdict
Venus is bigger, brighter and closer at minimum, but a Soviet probe lasted just two hours on its surface. Mars is colder, drier and dustier — but cold enough that we can land and operate rovers for years.