Worlds apart

Venus vs Earth

What are they, and what does the difference actually look like?

Two things. One honest scale.

Meet the pair

What these two things are

Venus

Venus is a rocky planet orbiting the Sun, covered by thick clouds of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid.

12,100 kmMean diameter

Earth

Earth is the rocky planet on which we live and the third planet from the Sun.

12,740 kmMean diameter

Earth has about 1.05 times the mean diameter of Venus.

True scale
01
Venus12,100 kmMean diameter
02
Earth12,740 kmMean diameter
Both marked spans share one linear scale. Artwork keeps its proportions; poses and surface detail are illustrative.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +

Venus

Mean-radius spherical model for Venus; actual shape is not perfectly spherical.

NASA JPL — planetary physical parameters

The marked mean diameter is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

Earth

Mean-radius spherical model for Earth; actual shape is not perfectly spherical.

NASA JPL — planetary physical parameters

The marked mean diameter is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.

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Measurement details

Why these numbers?

The visual compares mean diameter with mean diameter. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.

Venus

12,100 km

Mean diameter · approximate

Mean-radius spherical model for Venus; actual shape is not perfectly spherical.

Earth

12,740 km

Mean diameter · approximate

Mean-radius spherical model for Earth; actual shape is not perfectly spherical.

Comparing
Mean diameter ↔ Mean diameter
Relative size
Earth is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 1.05. Earth's selected measurement is approximately 5.27% greater than Venus's.

How to read the visual

The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.

  • Venus is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
  • Earth is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.

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