Biosignature on Venus likely to be mistake, says new study

Back in September last year, astronomers made a splash when they announced the discovery of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus, which could be a sign of life. But a new study has found that a different gas could explain the signature detected, and th… Continue reading Biosignature on Venus likely to be mistake, says new study

Venus may have been without active tectonic plates for a billion years

Venus may not have had Earth-like tectonic plates for the last billion years, according to the results of a new study. Instead, the planet, which is often referred to as Earth’s twin, may be covered in a single thick outer plate.Continue ReadingCategor… Continue reading Venus may have been without active tectonic plates for a billion years

BepiColombo makes the first of two Venus flybys on its way to Mercury

The joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo probe has successfully completed the first of two scheduled flybys of Venus. At 03:58 GMT (05:58 am CEST) today, the robotic spacecraft came to within 10,720 km (6,661 miles) of the planet’s surface in a slingshot maneuve… Continue reading BepiColombo makes the first of two Venus flybys on its way to Mercury

Hackaday Podcast 086: News Overflow, Formula 1/3 Racer, Standing Up For Rubber Duckies, and Useless Machine Takes a Turn

Hackaday editors Elliot Williams take Mike Szczys peruse the world of hacks. There was so much news this week that we lead off the show with a rundown to catch you up. Yet there is still no shortage of hardware hacks, with prosthetic legs for your rubber ducky, a RC …read more

Continue reading Hackaday Podcast 086: News Overflow, Formula 1/3 Racer, Standing Up For Rubber Duckies, and Useless Machine Takes a Turn

Exploring the Clouds of Venus; It’s Not Fantasy, But it Will Take Specialized Spacecraft

By now, you’ve likely heard that scientists have found a potential sign of biological life on Venus. Through a series of radio telescope observations in 2017 and 2019, they were able to confirm the presence of phosphine gas high in the planet’s thick atmosphere. Here on Earth, the only way …read more

Continue reading Exploring the Clouds of Venus; It’s Not Fantasy, But it Will Take Specialized Spacecraft

Possible signs of life detected in Venus’ atmosphere

While most eyes are on Mars as the most likely place we might find life beyond Earth, perhaps we should be looking to our neighbor on the other side. High in the atmosphere of Venus, astronomers have made the startling discovery of a gas called phosphi… Continue reading Possible signs of life detected in Venus’ atmosphere

“Tidal waves” power super-fast rotation of Venus’ atmosphere

An international team of scientists led by Takeshi Horinouchi of Hokkaido University suggests that an atmospheric equivalent of tidal waves may be responsible for the super-rotation of the atmosphere of Venus. Based on data returned by JAXA’s Akatsuki … Continue reading “Tidal waves” power super-fast rotation of Venus’ atmosphere