Unlike other planets, Venus has no craters on its surface smaller than 1.25 miles across. Because the atmosphere is so dense, smaller asteroids are crushed to powder before they reach the surface of the planet, leaving no smaller craters.
Because Venus is so much brighter in the sky than anything except the sun and Earth's moon, it drew notice from many ancient civilizations. The Chinese called it Tai-pe or “the beautiful white one,” the Egyptians called it Bonou for “bird,” and the Chaldeans named it the “bright torch of heaven.”
