This is a review of current knowledge about Earth’s nearest planetary neighbour and near twin, Venus. Such knowledge has recently been extended by the European Venus Express and the Japanese Akatsuki spacecraft in orbit around the planet; these missions and their achievements are concisely described in the first part of the review, along with a summary of previous Venus observations. The scientific discussions which follow are divided into three main sections: on the surface and interior; the atmosphere and climate; and the thermosphere, exosphere and magnetosphere. These reports are intended to provide an overview for the general reader, and also an introduction to the more detailed topical surveys in the following articles in this issue, where full references to original material may be found.

中文翻译：

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金星：类地行星的大气、气候、表面、内部和近太空环境

这是对地球最近的行星邻居和附近的双胞胎金星的当前知识的回顾。最近，欧洲金星快车和日本 Akatsuki 航天器在环绕地球的轨道上扩展了这种知识。回顾的第一部分简要描述了这些任务及其成就，并总结了之前的金星观测结果。接下来的科学讨论分为三个主要部分：表面和内部；大气和气候；以及热层、外逸层和磁层。这些报告旨在为一般读者提供概述，并介绍本期以下文章中更详细的主题调查，其中可以找到对原始材料的完整参考。