Abstract
Venus is commonly known as the beautiful Evening Star of the night sky.
Despite its bulk composition and size being similar (Interior ESI 0.98)
to those of Earth, Venus is an extremely hot and dry planet, with
temperatures ranging from 630 - 740K. With the current physical
conditions, a potential areal biosphere could exist on the sulphuric
acid-dominated clouds, providing moderate temperatures and pressures due
to high altitudes. A theorised Iron or Sulphur metabolism could support
exotic life in these extremely acidic (pH 0) conditions. The past
habitability for regular life could be connected to the present
habitability for exotic life through possible evolution, extending the
possible Habitability timeline. Due to its smaller orbital distance (0.7
AU), Venus could have been the first habitable planet in the solar
system, with optimistic models showing that Venus may have had a complex
atmosphere and a liquid ocean for around 2 billion years, before the
moist runaway greenhouse effect transformed the planet. High values for
the D/H ratio and carbon abundance, combined with Venus’s slow rotation
rate indicate the potential for biological life developing in Past
Venus’s possible Earth-like conditions. These models were analysed from
a perspective of Habitability, along with probable evolution into the
present exotic life.