Was Venus Ever Earth-Like?
For rocky planets, we usually rely heavily on geology to reveal their history. Not only is Venus’ surface incredibly hard to study, given the extreme environmental conditions, but there appears to have been a global catastrophic event around 1 billion years ago that remade the surface, destroying nearly all rocks from before the event. However, there is something that survived the event - the atmosphere! This event likely changed the atmosphere dramatically, setting in motion a transformation into the hellish world we see today. By modeling the atmosphere and running back the clock, we find Venus could have had a thinner atmosphere that would have trapped less heat. Together with a younger Sun that was 30% dimmer, this would have allowed liquid water to form vast oceans. Interestingly, water vapor clouds formed from these oceans may have blocked enough sunlight to make this early Venus a little cooler than Earth is today. Read More
Latest News About Venus
Venus reaches superior solar conjunction today
January 6, 2026
What does it mean and can you see it? Read more
Key river of extreme winds on Venus identified
November 27, 2025
Once-daily atmospheric tidal cycle may be a bigger driver of rapid Venusian winds than previously thought. Read more
The 'anti-weather' of Venus
November 8, 2025
Venus missions will benefit from preliminary research into the planet's surface conditions. Read more
Mysterious molecule found on brown dwarf casts further doubt on potential signs of life on Venus
October 3, 2025
New research casts doubt on the idea that this molecule can be regarded as a biosignature Read more
Venus' clouds are 60% water, according to reanalyzed Pioneer data
October 1, 2025
Researchers reviewed mass spectrometry data to glean new insights into cloud compositions Read more
Mysterious crown-like features on Venus may finally have an explanation
September 29, 2025
Scientists have proposed a new explanation for Venus' giant, crown-shaped geological features, known as coronae. Read more
Venus has lava tubes, and they're weird
September 22, 2025
We now have direct evidence that underground tunnels carved out by molten rock are on Venus Read more
New research explores Venus' violent past
August 11, 2025
Findings reveal that a wide range of impact scenarios are consistent with Venus's current rotation rate Read more
2 Earth weather satellites accidentally spy on Venus
July 23, 2025
"We believe that continuing such activities will further expand our horizon in the field of planetary science." Read more
Is Venus hiding dangerous asteroids?
May 26, 2025
Asteroids co-orbiting Venus that could pose a threat Read more
Curious circles on Venus suggest its surface is still changing
May 19, 2025
Venus is shrouded in clouds, making speculation about what's happening on its surface a parlor game Read more
Venus' crust is surprisingly thin. Could this explain why it's so geologically active?
May 14, 2025
It resets the playing field for how the geology, crust and atmosphere on Venus work together Read more
Scientists may have just found the driving force behind Venus' volcanos
April 4, 2025
"Convection in the crust could be a key missing mechanism." Read more
A private mission to Venus aims to look for signs of life
March 13, 2025
A probe would bring samples of the planet’s atmosphere to Earth Read more
Venus, the 'love planet', will look extra special this Valentine's Day
February 11, 2025
In a cosmic coincidence, Venus will be at its brightest and best on Valentine's Day Read more
Exploring Venus may require exotic tech like balloons and 'aerobots'
February 8, 2025
"Even through the challenges of the present day, it's an extremely exciting time for Venus science," Read more
Year of Venus: How to see the 'evening star' at its best in 2025
December 28, 2024
Venus is moving toward a dramatic finale in early 2025, when it will dazzle as the "evening star" after sunset Read more
A rare Venus solar transit helps unravel exoplanet atmospheres
December 5, 2024
Would scientists be able to set Earth and Venus apart if seen from light-years away? Read more
Did Venus ever have oceans to support life, or was it 'born hot'?
December 2, 2024
Scientists have poured cold water on the idea that Venus could once have supported life Read more
Three ways to track Venusquakes, from balloons to satellites
November 28, 2024
Three approaches to studying quakes on Venus are currently plausible Read more
Venus' 'missing' giant impact craters may be hiding in plain sight
November 7, 2024
If it is an impact structure, it would give us a rare glimpse into Venus' past and informing early planet processes Read more
Successful final Parker Solar Probe flyby of Venus yesterday
November 7, 2024
The flyby also allowed Parker to see Venus’ surface Read more
Study of Venus's Haasttse-baad Tessera suggests formation by two large impacts
November 5, 2024
Prior research has shown that Venus has no evidence of crater impacts larger than 300 kilometers across Read more
Could Earth's 'evil twin' Venus carry a dire warning about climate change?
October 7, 2024
Venus is certainly a good example of one extremity of the greenhouse effect run amok. Read more
Another building block of life can handle Venus' sulfuric acid
September 27, 2024
Venus' surface isn't a candidate for habitability. But regions in its atmosphere may be. Read more
Venus could be rocked by thousands of quakes every year
September 18, 2024
The planet is more geologically active than we thought and could have more than 17,000 venusquakes a year Read more
Why Doesn't Venus Have Its Own Moon?
September 3, 2024
It hardly seems fair when Jupiter is hogging up 95 Read more
Controversial phosphine findings on Venus corroborated
August 29, 2024
Phosphine is likely present in the upper atmosphere of Venus. But is this a sign of life? Read more
Fascinating Facts About Venus
Compare Venus to Earth
Venus vs Earth
- From the cloud tops, the Sun appears about one and a half times as large as it does from Earth and sunlight is about 2 times brighter. At the surface the Sun cannot be seen through the cloud cover and sunlight is dimmed significantly.
- To human eyes, Venus appears a nearly featureless white orb. Cloud features can be seen in spacecraft imagery by looking beyond visible light in either infrared or ultraviolet light.
- It rotates in the opposite direction to the other planets, and takes a little longer to spin once than to go around the Sun. This slow backward rotation has a curious effect: there are about two day/night cycles per Venus year, even though it only spins around once in that time.
- Its winds are super-rotational, meaning they move faster than the planet rotates, reaching speeds of 400 kph (250 mph). On Earth, for winds to be super-rotational, they would have to be traveling at over 1600 kph (1000 mph).
- Because its thick atmosphere is so effective at holding on to heat, the surface temperature does not vary much between night and day or from equator to pole. The planet also has almost no tilt, so there are no seasonal changes either.
- The atmospheric pressure at the surface is 92 times greater than Earth’s, equivalent to the pressure felt at 1 km deep in the ocean on Earth. Think of it like the weight of a small car pressing down on your thumbnail.
- It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, and is the only major planet in the Solar System to be named after a female diety.
Missions
Akatsuki/ Planet-C (2010)
JAXA mission to study weather patterns on Venus
Venus Express (2005)
ESA mission to study Venus’ atmosphere and clouds
Magellan (1989)
Mission to make radar maps of Venusian surface
Vega 1 & 2 (1984)
Soviet Union mission to deliver landers and balloons to Venus
Pioneer Venus (1978)
Mission to investigate solar wind in the Venusian environment
Mariner 10 (1973)
Flyby mission to Venus and Mercury
Mariner 5 (1967)
Mission to collect data on Venus’ atmosphere, radiation and magnetic field
Mariner 2 (1962)
First Venus flyby
Venera Missions (1961-1983)
Soviet Union missions to orbit Venus, probe the atmosphere or reach the surface