CHESTER, Vt. – Join the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA) on Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., for a presentation on Venus by member Kevin Paquet. This will be a hybrid meeting – in person at the Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm Street in Chester, and online at www.zoom.us/j/94691230307.
Often called Earth’s sister planet, Venus is nearby and made of much the same stuff. However, the heat and pressure of the Venusian surface are like nothing on Earth.
Cloaked in clouds, Venus was once the site of fevered expectations in science fiction. Science fact dashed the hopes for a swamp world filled with menacing lizards, but also revealed a surprising temperate zone high above the hostile surface.
Could there be life in the clouds? What was the surface like before a runaway greenhouse effect? A new generation of spacecraft are being readied to study these questions and more. Join SoVerA in person or online to learn about the history of Venus, and our hopes for what it holds in the future.