Don't Ignore the Planet Next Door
Morton, O.
Science 298: 06-7
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0091-7729 Document Number: 275277
Some researchers are suggesting that Venus might hold life and provide insight into extrasolar planets. Although Venus is the closest planet to Earth, nearest to Earth in size, and the brightest planet in Earth's skies, the world's space agencies pay little attention to it. This lack of interest is primarily due to the fact that, with an average surface temperature of 460°C, Venus has a conspicuous shortage of water, whose presence is linked with the possibility of life. Nevertheless, some researchers have begun publishing papers and making presentations at conferences about both life on Venus and ways of studying it. For example, microbes might have adapted to live in the extremely acidic conditions of Venus' atmosphere, which is much more hospitable than the planet's hellish surface. Moreover, even if Venus does not hold life, these researchers contend that it should be studied in greater detail in order to help understand Earth-sized planets around other stars.