Atmosphere of Venus
The atmosphere of Venus is the layer of gases surrounding Venus. It is composed primarily of carbon dioxide and is much denser and hotter than that of Earth. The temperature at the surface is 740 K (467 °C, 872 °F), and the pressure is 93 bar (9.3 MPa), roughly the pressure found underwater on Earth. The Venusian atmosphere supports opaque clouds made of sulfuric acid, making optical Earth-based and orbital observation of the surface impossible. Information about the topography has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging. Aside from carbon dioxide, the other main component is nitrogen. Other chemical compounds are present only in trace amounts.
Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform
Since some models suggest Venus once had a habitable climate with liquid water on its surface for as long as 2 billion years, it is speculated by some scientists that these absorption features could be caused by large masses of microorganisms suspended in the lower cloud layer, and hypothetically thrive on iron- and sulfur-centered metabolism. On Earth, some extremophile bacteria can thrive in very acidic conditions, can feed on carbon dioxide, and excrete sulfuric acid.