Venus
Latest about Venus
![a yellow-orange planet with visible clouds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BSPnH7exyqzuxPxtyt3bbh-320-80.jpg)
Venus' atmosphere: Composition, clouds and weather
By Rebecca Sohn last updated
Reference The atmosphere of Venus is thick with clouds of carbon dioxide and has led to an extreme version of the same greenhouse effect currently causing climate change on Earth.
![illustration of a small spacecraft approaching cloudy venus, with the blackness of space in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HKjJrMjmZWAeRRwPxk8KYD-320-80.jpg)
Alien life could thrive in Venus' acidic clouds, new study hints
By Leonard David published
A new study has found that amino acids — the building blocks of proteins — remain stable in concentrated sulfuric acid, the stuff that Venus' clouds are made of.
![the sun rises over a reddish-yellow planet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hESRMzraX7Anb9aC9ZbjSE-320-80.jpg)
1st private mission to Venus will search for alien life in clouds of sulfuric acid
By Leonard David published
The first-ever private mission Venus is slated to launch in 2025. and aims to search for signs of life in its clouds by detecting organic chemistry.
![This image of the Venus southern hemisphere illustrates the terminator – the transitional region between the dayside (left) and nightside of the planet (right).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kv7vtywRhYW22KPBwN2QKb-320-80.jpg)
Between Venus' atmospheric currents, a layer of reactive oxygen
By Conor Feehly published
Scientists found atomic oxygen buried between two dominant currents in the hellish planet's atmosphere.
![a green circle pairs the crescent moon and venus in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tutELDpGLNqRzHXDLAekHA-320-80.jpg)
See bright Venus and the crescent moon light up the early morning sky on Nov. 9
By Joe Rao published
The two brightest objects in the night sky — dazzling Venus and a lovely waning crescent moon — will be the chief celestial attraction in the predawn sky on Thursday, Nov. 9.
![A view of Venus against a black background. It looks awfully scorching in its amber hue.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qDktfWxDJfTNsD9HqFgxhX-320-80.png)
If Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics in its distant past, did it have life too?
By Robert Lea published
New research suggests the solar system's hottest planet, Venus, could have had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago, opening up the possibility that this hellish once hosted life.
![An artist's depiction of NASA's Parker Solar Probe flying past Venus.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7e6bd44GtTKyi4yaFRTHLN-320-80.png)
'Lightning' on Venus may not be lightning at all, Parker Solar Probe finds
By Monisha Ravisetti published
For years, experts haven't agreed on whether Venus' lightning is truly lightning. New data from NASA's sun-kissing spacecraft may have settled the debate.
![A gassy planet, Venus dayside synthesized false color image by UVI (2018 Mar 30)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PBrYfzLHanUSgrjNYJeSH5-320-80.jpg)
'Lightning' on Venus is actually meteors burning up in planet's atmosphere, study says
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Tiny meteors burning up in Venus' atmosphere cause light flashes that have long been interpreted as lightning bolts, according to new research.
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