Venusian Haven



Planet has captivated the people of Earth for millennia. Aside from the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest star in the night sky, and was one of the original planets noted by early astronomers. Named after the, the planet has always been believed to be a place that its name represented (our Sister Planet). During the early years of modern day astronomy, the discover that the planet had an atmosphere, covered by clouds, and maybe had a moon of its own. These discoveries would lead many to believe that underneath the clouds was a watery world of beautiful maidens and lush rainforests, a place truly worthy of its namesake.

When technology was advanced enough for humans to get an up and personal look at the planet, the humans of Earth were disappointing to find out that Venus was nothing like Earth, but rather an "Evil Twin" of Earth. It was discovered that atmosphere was a giant greenhouse, causing the surface temperature to rise to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface appeared to be volcanic, the atmosphere so pressurized that it could crush a human flat, and the clouds that covered the planet were filled with sulfuric acid. With more interesting destinations in our solar system, humans turned their backs on Venus. It wouldn't be until the planet could be further studied in detail that it was discovered that the planet does have a lot of Earth-like qualities. The diameter is almost the same as Earth, and the terrain of the surface has had many astronomers believe that early in the planet's history, it was indeed Earth-like with oceans and possibly life. Even today, some astronomers believe there might be sulfur-eating bacteria that may float in the Venusian atmosphere.

But imagine an alternate timeline where the evolution of Venus went an entirely different direction. What if the planet was able to form more Earth-like qualities, allowing for Venus to truly form into our "Sister Planet." What if we really had a Venusian Haven to call our own.

Point of Divergence
See Main Article: Timeline (Venusian Haven)

Because the discovery of the planets take place over the millennium and before that, this timeline has several points of divergence (PODs) that are worth noting.


 * 4.5 billion years ago: A collides with early Venus. Similar to what, a moon was able to form around Venus. The impact was strong enough (and at the right angle) to cause the planet to flip upside-down, and giving the planet a much faster rotation. The moon that forms would gradually move away from the planet (as was the case with our moon), causing a stabilization with the axial tilt of Venus. The gravitational affects would also help to stabilize the weather systems of early Venus, allowing equal distribution of heat and cooling across the atmosphere. Excluding the billions of years that would follow, Venus would eventually evolve into an Earth-like planet, teaming with life.


 * 17th century AD: Astronomer would become the first person to view Venus in greater detail. He would observe that the planet went threw similar phases as the Moon did. He would also make note that there appeared to be another crescent that seemed to accompany Venus. Galileo would become the first human to spot Venus's moon. It wouldn't be until the 1670s that astronomer  would study the moon in greater detail. It wouldn't be until the 1880s that the name  became mainstream for the moon's name.


 * 1922: American astronomers and  would observe the spectral characteristics of Venus' atmosphere. The astronomers would detect nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor in the atmosphere. This discovery confirmed Swedish chemist ' belief that the clouds of Venus were made of water (as was on Earth).


 * 1962:  flybys Venus (the first ever to do so). The probe would detect that the planet had temperature similar to the equatorial regions of Earth. Despite the fact that Venus had a thicker could structure than Earth, the images sent back would amaze Earthlings, as some of the surface features could be seen from orbit, revealing the possibility that the planet was covered in oceans and continents.


 * 1970:  becomes the first probe to ever land on Venus. The images sent back shock the world, as the first ever oceans of another planet were confirmed. Despite the fact that the probe landed in water, the biggest surprise was what appeared to be trees and possibly flying animals. Later Venera probes would confirm life.