Trending

Venus

Venus, second planet from the sun, is the brightest planet in our solar system.

Related Topics: Mercury, Earth, Mars 

Latest Updates

An artist's depiction of a fleet of probes approaching Venus.

After a tantalizing discovery at Venus, what could an astrobiology mission look like?

By Meghan Bartels

Suddenly, a mission to investigate whether Venus might be hospitable to life after all doesn't seem quite so outlandish.

This image of Venus was created using data that NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft collected on Feb. 7 and 8, 1974, shortly after the spacecraft's closest approach to Venus on Feb. 5.

Here's every successful Venus mission humanity has ever launched

By Elizabeth Howell

This slideshow shows every successful Venus mission in history, according to information from NASA.

An image of Venus' thick atmosphere captured by NASA's Mariner 10 mission.

Rocket Lab's plan to search for life on Venus in 2023 just got more exciting

By Mike Wall

Rocket Lab's life-hunting Venus mission in 2023 will be just the beginning, if all goes according to the company's plan.

An artist's concept showing a super-Venus on the left and Earth on the right.

Venus, once billed as Earth's twin, is a hothouse (and a tantalizing target in the search for life)

By Nola Taylor Redd

As Earth's twin, Venus offers much in the search for life and habitable worlds.

Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft captured this false-color image of Venus' dayside on March 30, 2018.

Life on Venus? Breakthrough Initiatives funds study of possible biosignature detection

By Mike Wall

The main goals involve investigating the case for life on Venus and figuring out the best ways to hunt it down, if it is indeed there.

Was Venus Alive? 'The Signs are Probably There'

The 10 weirdest facts about Venus

By Space.com Staff

From having a day longer than its year to its wind speeds faster than tornadoes, Venus is odd.

An artist's depiction of Venus and, in the inset, phosphine molecules.

The phosphine discovered in Venus' clouds may be a big deal. Here's what you need to know.

By Meghan Bartels

A chemical you've likely never heard of has burst into the news thanks to scientists' announcement that they have detected phosphine, which they say may be a sign of life, in the clouds of Venus.

A new image of Venus shows the view ALMA had during its observations for the new research.

Strange chemical in clouds of Venus defies explanation. Could it be a sign of life?

By Meghan Bartels

Discovering life beyond Earth may well start with a sniff, a whiff of some chemical that scientists struggle to explain without invoking a strange, shadowy microbe.

This image of Venus was created using data that NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft collected on Feb. 7 and 8, 1974, shortly after the spacecraft's closest approach to Venus on Feb. 5.

The clouds of Venus join the shortlist for potential signs of life in our solar system

By Mike Wall

Venus isn't the only world beyond Earth where scientists have gotten a possible whiff of life.

See the moon, Venus and the Beehive star cluster in the early morning sky on Sept. 14, 2020.

See Venus swing by the crescent moon Monday morning

By Joe Rao

The moon and Venus will form a triangle with the Beehive star cluster in the predawn sky on Monday (Sept. 14).

Venus and Earth were born together but developed very differently. Will humanity someday make Venus more livable? Or let Earth slip into (avoidable) climate catastrophe? Ten scientists illuminate the promise of vigorous missions to the 2nd planet in this series of documentaries on MagellanTV..

'Venus: Death of a Planet': New 'Cloud Cities' documentary series imagines humans on the hellish world

By Lyle Monroe

A new documentary series titled "Venus: Death of a Planet / Cloud Cities of Venus" explores the possibility of life on Venus — and how humans could one day terraform Earth's "twin."

A new series of films on MagellanTV envisions a robust return to Venus and examines the planet's vital contributions to science and art. Surprisingly, there is evidence there may be life in its atmosphere.

Don't ignore Venus — Earth's twin hides surprising opportunities (op-ed)

By David Sky Brody

In many ways, Venus shows us an Earth that could have been; the twin that grew up in a different environment.

An image of Venus' thick atmosphere captured by NASA's Mariner 10 mission.

Want to find life on Venus? Check for spores in the atmosphere, new research suggests.

By Charles Q. Choi

In the depths of Venus' hellish atmosphere, a layer of mysterious haze could be home to life, a new study finds.

Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft captured this false-color image of Venus' dayside on March 30, 2018.

Rocket Lab aims to launch private Venus mission in 2023

By Mike Wall

Rocket Lab, which gives small spacecraft dedicated rides to Earth orbit, plans to go interplanetary soon with an astrobiology mission to the second rock from the sun.

An image taken by Japan's Akatsuki spacecraft shows the night side of Venus in infrared (the dark side of the image is the day side of the planet, which is too bright to study in infrared).

A super speedy acid cloud has been hiding on Venus for decades

By Elizabeth Howell

Lurking just below the atmosphere of Venus is a wall of acid clouds that whip around the planet at speeds close to that of a commercial air jet on Earth.

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

The brightest planets in September's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in September's night sky.

This rendering shows the first-place winning concept "Venus Feelers" by Youssef Ghali from Cairo, Egypt.

Steampunk Venus rover ideas win NASA contest to 'explore hell' with clockwork robots

By Elizabeth Howell

A future Venus rover could be decked out with steampunk-esque rollers and fenders.

This 3D rendition ashows two coronae observed on the surface of Venus. The ring-like structures are formed when hot material from deep inside the planet rises through the mantle and erupts through the crust. A new study found that at least 37 coronae on Venus represent recent geologic activity, including the one named Aramaiti, seen on the left in this image. The black line represents a gap in data.

Venus probably has active volcanoes right now

By Mike Wall

Researchers have identified 37 features on Venus that were likely created by volcanism recently, potentially reshaping our understanding of the hellishly hot planet.

An artist's depiction of NASA's Parker Solar Probe flying past Venus.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe swings through Venus 'tail' in flyby today

By Meghan Bartels

A daring sun-grazing NASA spacecraft turns its focus to Venus today (July 10) with a critical flyby that will pass through the planet's weird "tail."

Throughout July, Venus will rise about two hours before the sun and then shine prominently in the eastern sky until sunrise. Between July 3 and 12, Venus' orbital motion will carry it eastward and directly through the Hyades star cluster, the large, triangular grouping of stars that forms the face of Taurus, the bull. On July 10, Venus will reach its greatest illuminated extent, at magnitude -4.47, for the current morning apparition.

The 'morning star' Venus is at its brightest for 2020 this week. Here's how to see it.

By Joe Rao

After putting on a great show in our evening sky during the first half of this year, dazzling Venus puts on a spectacular showing for early morning risers for the balance of 2020.