If there is phosphine on Venus, there isn"t much
In the absence of direct observations of extraterrestrial life, scientists often focus on searching for biosignatures, chemical by-products of life, that can be detected with remote sensing. Although Mars has received the most attention in this regar.....»»
The company building a rotating detonation engine is pushing the tech forward
"I'm convinced that this is going to be the engine that unlocks the hypersonic economy." Enlarge / A Venus Aerospace drone makes a powered flight. (credit: Venus Aerospace) Venus Aerospace conducted its first powered fli.....»»
Life"s building blocks are surprisingly stable in Venus-like conditions: Study
If there is life in the solar system beyond Earth, it might be found in the clouds of Venus. In contrast to the planet's blisteringly inhospitable surface, Venus' cloud layer, which extends from 30 to 40 miles above the surface, hosts milder temperat.....»»
NASA’s skywatching tips for February include Mars return and a spiral galaxy
NASA's top picks for what to look out for in the sky over the coming weeks include Venus, Mars, and a spiral galaxy 11.8 million light-years away......»»
We"re heading for Venus: ESA approves EnVision
ESA's next mission to Venus was officially "adopted" today by the Agency's Science Program Committee. EnVision will study Venus from its inner core to its outer atmosphere, giving important new insight into the planet's history, geological activity a.....»»
Why Venus died
Venus is only slightly smaller than the Earth, and so has enjoyed billions of years of a warm heart. But for this planet, sometimes called Earth's sister, that heat has betrayed it. That planet is now wrapped in suffocating layers of a poisonous atmo.....»»
Gravitational wave, Venus missions get European green light
The European Space Agency gave the green light to two missions on Thursday, one to detect ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves and another to probe the secrets of Earth's closest neighboring planet Venus......»»
NASA invests in new nuclear rocket concept for the future of space exploration and astrophysics
In the coming years, NASA plans to send several astrobiology missions to Venus and Mars to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. These will occur alongside crewed missions to the moon (for the first time since the Apollo Era) and the first cr.....»»
Venus" atmospheric chemical anomalies may motivate future astrobiology missions
When scientists detected phosphine in Venus' atmosphere in 2020, it triggered renewed, animated discussions about Venus and its potential habitability. It would be weird if the detection didn't generate interest since phosphine is a potential biomark.....»»
New study suggests some forms of life could exist in Venus"s sulfuric acid clouds
A team of chemists and planetary scientists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Nanoplanet Consulting and MIT has found evidence that a form of life that uses sulfuric acid as a liquid medium could exist in some of the clouds covering Venus. The te.....»»
Mysterious missing component in the clouds of Venus revealed
What are the clouds of Venus made of? Scientists know it's mainly made of sulfuric acid droplets, with some water, chlorine, and iron. Their concentrations vary with height in the thick and hostile Venusian atmosphere. But until now they have been un.....»»
TRAPPIST-1c isn"t the exo-Venus we were hoping for, but don"t blame the star
A recent study posted to the arXiv preprint server and accepted to The Astrophysical Journal uses computer models to investigate why the exoplanet, TRAPPIST-1c, could not possess a thick carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere despite it receiving the same a.....»»
Exoplanets" climate: It takes nothing to switch from habitable to hell, say researchers
The Earth is a wonderful blue and green dot covered with oceans and life, while Venus is a yellowish sterile sphere that is not only inhospitable but also sterile. However, the difference between the two is only a few degrees in temperature. A team o.....»»
Team reviews phosphine ligand-induced structural transformation of metal nanoclusters
A team of researchers has reviewed a unique method for reforming the structures of ultra-small nanomaterials. These nanomaterials, called metal nanoclusters, bridge the gap between the metal atom and the bulk metal, making them highly useful in both.....»»
Presence of atomic oxygen confirmed on both day and night sides of Venus
A multi-institutional team of astrophysicists from Germany has made the first direct observation of oxygen atoms in the day side atmosphere of Venus. In their project, reported in the journal Nature Communications, the group studied data from the Str.....»»
Venus had Earth-like plate tectonics billions of years ago, study suggests
Venus, a scorching wasteland of a planet according to scientists, may have once had tectonic plate movements similar to those believed to have occurred on early Earth, a new study found. The finding sets up tantalizing scenarios regarding the possibi.....»»
India sets sights on a Moon landing in 2040, but is it realistic?
Also on tap for India: A space station and a Venus orbiter. Enlarge / A view of the Moon from Chandrayaan 3 before landing. (credit: ISRO) In recent years the nation of India has embraced spaceflight as a means of estab.....»»
We landed a camera on Venus before seeing parts of our own oceans—time to ramp up observations closer to home
Viewed from the Voyager 1 space probe as it passed beyond the edge of the solar system, Earth and Venus might not look too different—same diameter, similar mass and distance from the sun......»»
Does lightning strike on Venus? Maybe not, study suggests
Venus may be a (slightly) gentler place than some scientists give it credit for......»»
Venus on Earth: NASA"s VERITAS science team studies volcanic Iceland
With its crushing atmospheric pressure, clouds of sulfuric acid, and searing surface temperature, Venus is an especially challenging place to study. But scientists know that observing its surface can provide key insights into the habitability and evo.....»»
Flashes of light in Venusian atmosphere may be meteors, not lightning
A team of planetary scientists at Arizona State University has found evidence that the multitude of bright flashes in Venus' atmosphere may be due to meteors passing through, not lightning strikes. In their paper published in Journal of Geophysical R.....»»