Venus Distance From Earth
Written by Fraser Cain
After the Sun and Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky. That's because the orbit of Venus can bring it very close to the Earth. In a small telescope, or powerful binoculars, Venus can appear to go through phases just like the Moon.
This change in phase is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that both Earth and Venus orbit the Sun. Sometimes the orbits line up, and the two planets are at their closest – astronomers call this opposition. And there are other times when the planets are furthest apart.
Since both Venus and Earth are on elliptical orbits, even this opposition point can change. Some oppositions are closer than others. The closest possible opposition between Earth and Venus is 38 million kilometers (23.7 million miles). No planet gets closer to Earth than Venus.
And for the most distant point, unfortunately, Venus will be invisible to Earth since it will be lost in the glare of the Sun. But at that point, when it's on the opposite side of the Solar System, Venus can be 261 million km (162 million miles) away.
It's this huge difference, between the planet's minimum and maximum distance which helps explain why Venus can be so bright in the sky.
Filed under: Astronomy
