Venus

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

Related Topics: Mercury, Earth, Mars 

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An artist's depiction of a Venus rock hitting the moon.

Pieces of Venus may be hiding on the moon

By Meghan Bartels published

The moon may be hiding the scientific key to the mysterious past of our neighboring world, Venus.

A NASA illustration shows the Pioneer 13 probes descending toward the clouds of Venus.

Did NASA detect a hint of life on Venus in 1978 and not realize it?

By Rafi Letzter published

What if scientists had started hunting for life on Venus in 1978?

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

Did a migrating Jupiter turn Venus into hell?

By Paul Sutter published

The giant planet's long-ago migration likely had big impacts.

simulation of the surface of Venus, with the Northern Hemisphere displayed

'Grand claims' of life on Venus lack evidence, skeptics say

By Adam Mann published

A roundup of the various pushback and criticisms to the claim that there could be life on Venus

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.

Earth life may have traveled to Venus aboard sky-skimming asteroid

By Mike Wall published

If there is indeed life on Venus, it may have come from Earth — aboard an asteroid that scooped up microbes high in our skies.

A computer-simulated view of the northern hemisphere of Venus.

Meet Calypso, a daredevil mission concept to explore the surface of Venus

By Paul Sutter published

Of all the rocky, inner worlds of the solar system, Venus is the most challenging to explore.

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 published

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 last updated

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 published

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 Tillman published

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 published

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.

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 published

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 last updated

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 published

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 last updated

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 last updated

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 published

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.