Venus

Venus, often called Earth’s twin, is a hellscape of a planet ruled by surface temperatures ranging from 820 degrees to nearly 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite being hot enough to melt lead, a new study claims that Venus may have been covered in oceans that were quickly lost to the hell-like atmosphere we know today. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claims that if Venus was ever habitable – a question many have asked over the decades – then it is likely that oceans once…

Planetary conjunction signifies that two planets appear close together in Earth's night sky. Thankfully, in the case of Earth's solar system, such planetary conjunctions happen way too frequently because our sister planets travel around the Sun in an almost similar ecliptic plane. Which makes them appear often in our night sky despite being millions of miles away from each other. Just a few weeks ago, the skies were dominated by a planetary conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, where the two planets were very close to each…

Venus may be one of the brightest and most beautiful objects in our night sky, but don't be fooled.Our neighboring planet is deeply inhospitable to life as we know it – a toxic, scorching world on which humans will never be able to tread.In spite of the differences in habitability, though, Venus shares some striking similarities with Earth. Both planets are around the same size, mass, and density, and have very similar compositions. This raises the question: Could Venus ever have been habitable?A new study has found…

Despite decades spent exploring our solar system, there’s still a lot that humanity hasn’t accomplished, and still a lot that we haven’t properly explored. Chief among those things that still need exploring are the other planets within our solar system. Sure, we have pictures of Mars, but what about photos of Venus’ surface? How much have we explored that planet? The answer: not much at all. While you can find dozens, if not hundreds, of images of Mars’ surface, Earth’s other neighbor, Venus, is limited to a…

It’s been so long since we had a real primadonna. What that means has changed so much over the years, spanning Mariah Careys and Maria Callases, Whitneys and La Lupes, Lauryn Hills and Sades, and, more recently, Amy Winehouses and Adeles. The diva as a concept—still debated today in opera circles as to whether the term is a compliment or a critique—has evolved from the tortured and demanding star to include a less haunted but no less talented singer, a fabulous lone wolf figure haunting genres and ages of art. When it…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeRichard Williams has spoken out in defence of Will Smith over his infamous Oscar slap, saying that he didn’t see “anything wrong” with the actor’s actions.During last year’s Academy Awards, Smith walked on stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith. In his first major TV interview since last year’s debacle, the…

Just days ago, the skies were dominated by a planetary conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, where the two planets were very close to each other in the night sky. Although both planets were already visible, this conjunction brought them even closer together and it presented an amazing opportunity for astronomers and skywatchers alike to witness this amazing, rare phenomenon. Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system, met with Venus, the hottest planet in the constellation Pisces.NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day is…

The world is not yet done talking about the rare meeting of two planets in our solar system in the night sky! Almost on a daily basis, you can find new photos released on the internet of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction. NASA has shared Jupiter and Venus conjunction seen as two bright spots over Italy in the night sky as the astronomy photo of the day.NASA said while sharing the photo that “a few days ago, the two brightest planets in the night sky passed within a single degree of each other in what is termed a…

On Wednesday, you can see two of the brightest planets in the night sky come together.If you're looking toward the west after sunset, you'll be able to see two bright "stars" in the sky: Those are actually Jupiter and Venus, and they've been getting closer and closer every night. "It is an apparent close approach from our perspective, as the planets are in fact hundreds of millions of kilometres apart," said Paul Delaney, professor emeritus with York University's department of physics and astronomy."Nonetheless, winter…

In the last couple of weeks, Venus and Jupiter have continued their slow dance in the dark sky. For the past few weeks, the planets have been visible in the early evening skies, shining brightly. On March 1-2, they came closest to each other Ina rare conjunction. A planetary conjunction is basically a view when two planets appear close together in the Earth's night sky. This year, the bright planets of our solar system Jupiter and Venus appeared much closer together than usual.You may have noticed Venus and Jupiter in…