This was
your sky.

Venus: Just Passing By

Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is the brightest of the three planets currently gathered in the western sky at sunset. It has also served as a popular waypoint for spacecraft heading to the outer solar system. By using a gravity assist maneuver, spacecraft can swing by planets like Venus to gain energy, saving fuel for their long interplanetary journeys. This colorized image shows Venus, a planet often used for such gravitational slingshots.