Where Is Venus, How Far Is It From Earth And Are There Signs Of Life?

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This artistic impression depicts the planet Venus, where scientists have confirmed the detection of phosphine molecules. ESO/M. Kornmesser & NASA/JPL/Caltech via REUTERS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Researches may have discovered signs of life on Venus (Picture: Reuters)

Are we alone? It is the question that has been asked since the dawn of time.

It has long been believed that if there were any other life forms in our solar system, they would be found on Mars.

However, researchers believe that we may have been dismissing a more likely planet on our search for life – after finding what they believe could be an indicator of life on Venus.

Just where is Venus, and could there be there alien life?

Where is Venus?

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Venus is the second-closest planet to the Sun, with Earth being the third.

Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth, and so only takes 224.7 days to travel around the sun.

Data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter is used in an undated composite image of the planet Venus. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Venus is the second planet from the Sun (Picture: REUTERS)

Venus is easily visible with the naked eye, especially in September.

It will either appear in the sky in the West in the evening or rise before the Sun in the East.

How far is Venus from Earth?

At its farthest, Venus is around 162 million miles (261 million kilometers) away from Earth.

Every 584 days, Venus is at its closest to Earth, and makes for a spectacular view in the sky.

Is there life on Venus?

Possibly.

The Royal Astronomical Society tweeted that researchers have detected ‘phosphine’, a rare and toxic gas, in the atmosphere of Venus, suggesting that it may be home to some form of life.

We have detected a gas called “phosphine” in the atmosphere of Venus, says @jgreaves6. This could point to the presence of life in the clouds of Venus. Their study is published in the journal Nature Astronomy and will be free to access today. #VenusNews

— Royal Astronomical Society (@RoyalAstroSoc) September 14, 2020

The sheer quantity of phosphine cannot be explained through any known process, leading researchers to suggest that it is a sign of alien life.

Phosphine is a foul smelling-gas that can be found in places such as pond slime.

On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments.

If there is indeed life on Venus, then they will likely come in the form of microbes or other smaller organisms, rather than little green men or the kinds of aliens you see on The X-Files.

The Venus microbes will need to be able to float above the scorching surface, and also tolerate very high acidity.

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An international team of researchers led by Jane Greaves from Cardiff University reported the findings in an article in Nature Astronomy.

They said that the discovery of phosphine: ‘is not robust evidence for life, only for anomalous and unexplained chemistry’, and that further work will be required to know for certain.

Arrow MORE: Exposed planetary core offers astronomers unique glimpse of innermost layers

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