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Venus

Look up throughout the year to catch a wide array of astronomical sights.

Don’t Miss These Ten Celestial Events in 2026, From Aligned Planets to a Total Solar Eclipse

The upcoming year will offer a blood-red moon, spectacular meteor showers and the first glimpse of the sun’s corona since April 2024

Workers prepare Venera 4, a Soviet space probe, for its flight to Venus' atmosphere in 1967.

A Soviet Spacecraft Is About to Crash Back to Earth After Being Stuck in Orbit for 53 Years

The Cosmos 482 lander was intended to reach Venus, but it has instead been circling Earth since 1972

A planet alignment photographed on June 23, 2022, featuring the moon as the brightest object

Seven Planets Will Gather in the Night Sky This Weekend. Here’s What to Expect During the Rare Alignment

While such a lineup is uncommon, the event might not look exactly how you’re imagining it

Looking through a telescope or binoculars can help you see Venus in its crescent phase on Valentine's Day—but the planet is visible to the naked eye.

Venus, the Planet of Love, Will Shine Bright on Valentine’s Day. Here’s How to See It

Around the time of your romantic dinner, head outside and look to the southwest to spot the super brilliant planet in the night sky

Computer simulated global view of Venus' northern hemisphere. 

Did Venus Have Oceans? This Surprising New Study Suggests Not, a Theory That Could Upend the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

The astronomers behind the research looked to the output from the nearby planet’s toxic volcanoes for clues

A computer-generated model of Sif Mons, a volcano on Venus. The new study found evidence of recent volcanic activity at Sif Mons and the Niobe Planitia region.

Venus Might Still Have Active Volcanoes, as Recent Lava Flows Suggest ‘Ongoing’ Eruptions

Astronomers have again discovered evidence of recent volcanic activity on Earth’s sister planet in data from the 1990s

NASA’s Mariner 10 spacecraft captured this view of Venus. The world has blistering surface temperatures, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of corrosive acid.

The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Venus

Our sister planet’s cloudy exterior gave it an aura of mystery—until humanity developed the technology to probe past the veil

Skywatchers can see five planets this week.

How to Watch Five Planets Align in the Night Sky This Week

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will appear as if in a parade in the Western sky on Tuesday

A computer-generated three-dimensional image of Maat Mons, the tallest volcano on Venus, from NASA's Magellan mission

Scientists Spot Recent Volcanic Activity on Venus

The findings in 30-year-old radar image data all but confirm that volcanoes on Earth’s hellish sister planet are still active today

A radar image of Venus' largest block of crust, located in the planet's lowlands and identified by the authors of a new paper.

New Research

Venus May Still Be Geologically Active

Radar images of the planet’s surface suggest large sections of its crust appear to have moved in the geologically recent past

This will be the first NASA mission to Venus since 1990.

Future of Space Exploration

With Two New Missions, NASA Announces Return to Venus by 2030

The projects, DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, will explore the planet’s past and Earth’s similarities with its sister planet

Using the detected radio wave, Collinson and his team calculated the density of Venus' ionosphere and compared it to measurements taken back in 1992 using the Pioneer Venus Orbiter.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Measures Radio Signal in Venus’ Upper Atmosphere

The measurements help researchers understand how the planet’s ionosphere began leaking

NASA's latest image of Venus taken by the Parker Solar Probe. Using Venus's gravity, the Parker Probe will circle our host star seven times while getting closer and closer over the course of seven years.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Snaps Luminous Photo of Venus

The image revealed unknown capabilities of the imaging instrument, WISPR, aboard the Parker Solar Probe and more insight into the planet’s atmosphere

Could humans be visiting Venus in the future?

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Will We Ever Send Humans to Venus?

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

Venus, the second planet from the sun

In Clouds on Venus, New Potential for Microbial Life

Astronomers have detected a chemical in Venus’ atmosphere that signifies life on Earth. Could it mean the same on Venus?

A 3D model of Venus' surface featuring two coronae, which are ring-shaped geological structures associated with volcanic activity. Venus' volcanoes were once thought to be dormant but new research found that at least 37 coronae, including one named Aramaiti which is on the left in this image, are active volcanoes.

New Research

Researchers Discover What May Be 37 Active Volcanoes on Venus

Scientists had long assumed Venus’ volcanoes were dormant, but a new study suggests the inhospitable planet has 37 active volcanoes

Watch Colorful Sunsets on Distant Planets in This NASA Simulation

New models from a NASA scientist show what the sun’s setting might look like on Venus, Uranus and Mars

Venus' volatile atmosphere expands in the sun, creating a low pressure area that drives strong winds around the planet.

New Research

The Forces Behind Venus’ Super-Rotating Atmosphere

Earth’s sister planet spins slowly, but its atmosphere whips around at high speeds

An artist's concept of the solar system

Where Will NASA Explore Next? Here Are the Four Shortlisted Missions

Targets include Venus, Jupiter’s moon Io and Neptune’s moon Triton

An image of asteroid 2020 AV2, taken on January 8, 2020 by the Elena robotic unit part of the Virtual Telescope Project

Astronomers Spot First Asteroid Nearer to the Sun Than Venus

Such “intervenusian” rocks are both rare and difficult to detect

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