Aphrodite

Venus is the second planet in the Sol system.

Orbit
Venus experiences an unusual phenomenon known as retrograde rotation. It rotates opposite to the other planets in the system likely due to an impact by a large object in the past.

From Gaea, Venus appears during the morning and evenings as one of the brightest points of light in the night sky.

Characteristics
In size and mass, Venus is remarkably similar to Gaea, much to the point where it has historically been referred to as an Earth twin. The wildly different, unbearable greenhouse effect makes Venus an uninhabitable hothouse.

Venus is mostly covered in smooth, volcanic plains and varies little in terrain height. Although the surface is between 300 and 600 million years ago, some regard it as enigmatic because evidence of lava flow has yet to be found.

Venus is most well known for the thick layer of clouds that covers its surface. The extraordinarily high pressure of 92 atm makes it nearly impossible for a probe to stay within its atmosphere for more than a few hours, and thus, very little of it has been explored. Sulfuric acid rain can be found in the upper atmosphere though it never touches the ground.

Despite these hostile conditions, some believe that Venus is capable of supporting floating microbial life in the upper middle cloud layers. However, no evidence of such life has yet to be found.

Colonization
After the War on Gaea, the Eteno Imperial Triumvirate created orbital stations to claim the planet. However, little mining on the planet's surface has been done as many other locations within the Sol system are more accessible sources of minerals.