This Might Happen To Your Body If You Land On Venus

Much as we'd like to believe that there may be alien life on other planets, Earth is the only one that has truly been confirmed to support complex forms of life, as proven by our very existence as humans. Still, that hasn't stopped scientists from looking into the possibility of other planets that possess the same ingredients for life. Mars is the planet that usually gets brought up as a potential second home for humanity, with the likes of Elon Musk positing that in the 2060s, there could be as many as a million people living in a self-sustained colony on the Red Planet, as reported in 2016 by Astronomy.com.

But what about the other planets in our solar system? Venus, in particular, stands out for the fact that it is Earth's closest planetary neighbor, and just last year, Nature published a peer-reviewed study that suggested the presence of phosphine gas in Venusian cloud decks — this was such an interesting finding because of how the gas could be a potential ingredient for life. More recent analyses, however, hinted that the discovery might have been a false positive (via National Geographic), and if Venus could indeed support life, chances are only the simplest forms would be able to survive on the planet. Yet that still begs the question — what would it be like for humans if they ever set foot on Venus?

As explained by the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, the conditions on Venus make it completely unlivable for humans. With temperatures of more than 850 degrees Fahrenheit due to its closer proximity to the sun, anyone who lands on the planet will likely be cooked in seconds. And that's not mentioning the toxic atmosphere that exerts about 90 times more force than the atmosphere here on Earth. That means there's a very good chance you'll be crushed and burned to death while taking a last gasp of poisonous gas soon after landing on Venus.

But what if we assume that thanks to some form of super-advanced technology, it would one day become possible to live on Venus? According to Space.com, it literally wouldn't be a walk in the park for anyone who lands on the planet's surface due to the fact that it's totally dry — the Venusian atmosphere is almost completely composed of carbon dioxide, which traps heat and ensures that temperatures remain at extremely high levels.

In addition, Venus' atmosphere makes pea soup appear downright watery in comparison, and if you want an even better idea of how thick it is, Space.com wrote that the pressure on the planet's surface is comparable to how it is 3,000 feet under the ocean on Earth. "The air is so thick that if try to move your arm quickly, you would feel resistance. It would almost be like being in water," Venus Express project scientist Håkan Svedhem told the publication.