Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system because its thick atmosphere traps heat like a giant greenhouse.

Venus has an atmosphere 93 times heavier than Earth's atmosphere. This creates a surface pressure similar to being 3,000 feet underwater. Most of this air is carbon dioxide. On Earth, rocks and oceans soak up carbon dioxide, but Venus has no liquid water to do this job.Billions of years ago, Venus likely had water. Scientists believe the sun's heat caused that water to evaporate. Without water, carbon dioxide built up in the sky and trapped more heat. This process is called a runaway greenhouse effect. It keeps the temperature at about 864 degrees Fahrenheit all the time.Thick clouds of sulfuric acid also cover the planet. These clouds reflect most sunlight, which makes Venus look very bright from Earth. However, the small amount of heat that reaches the surface cannot escape. The heat is so intense that it destroys electronics quickly.In 1982, a Soviet spacecraft called Venera 13 landed on the surface. It was built to be very strong, but it only lasted 127 minutes. The extreme heat and crushing pressure broke the machine. Data from the Venus Express mission showed that solar winds are still blowing away the planet's remaining light gases today.