Venus Fact File​

If you ever take a glance at the evening to night time sky; you'll probably notice a bright, white, shinning light. This is Venus. When you find Venus, it might be to the side or just below the moon although of course, it does move across the sky and depending on its orbit; it's an evening or morning star.

There are a few Apps you can download to help you identify stars and planets in the sky, I use Star Chart. Especially, when I'm travelling and can't get my bearings.

Although these Apps are available, I wanted to write a quick fact file with information from NASA to help you identify Venus perhaps without an App as well as, providing some mind-blowing information.

Venus by NASA.gov

6 Fact's About Venus

• Venus is the third brightest object in the Sky after, the Sun and the Moon It shouldn't be hard to identify Venus as some people can spot Venus in the day.

• One day on Venus is longer than 1 year on Earth

• Venus is sometimes called Earth's Sister due to it's similar; size, mass, core centre and location. (Venus is the closest planet to Earth)

• Billions of years ago, Venus's climate may have been similar to Earth's Scientists believe, Venus used to host a large amounts of water or oceans just like Earth, however due to severe greenhouse effects the water boiled off and the planet is now too hot and hostile to sustain life.

• Venus rotates clockwise rather than Counter-clockwise The cause of this, as with Uranus, is said to be from both planets colliding with an asteroid or other object and causing the planet's to change their rotational path (from counter-clockwise to clockwise)

• Venus has no seasons and it's the hottest planet in the Solar System

I might now have mentioned any new information however, just these facts alone were enough to get me wondering. Particularly, when I read about Venus being Earth's twin in size, shape and location. As well as, potentially hosting similar climate conditions to Earth billions of years ago.

Greenhouse gasses were the downfall of Venus... and greenhouse gasses are something we are battling to reduce today on planet Earth.

Just food for thought, what if Venus was our (Life's) first trial planet billions of years ago?

What if life evolved on Venus billions of years ago but was wiped out by their unbalanced greenhouse gasses?

Maybe there would have been life our there, closer than we anticipated, if only they hadn't "f***ked things up", let's say?

What if this is going to be us one day? Nothing remaining other than a hostile burned out planet. A memory of what was.

Maybe you can think about the secrets Venus may holds when you find it in the sky tonight and maybe wonder, if there's anything we could learn, as a planet, from what once was a planet similar to Earth.

References:

The Planets.org