Planets in science fiction

The exploration of other worlds is one of the most enduring themes of science fiction.

Related Topics:
Worlds - Science fiction

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During the first decades of science fiction, Mars was the most common planet and the most romanticized of our solar system whose surface conditions seemed closest to being amenable to life. Percival Lowell's idea about Martian canals was taken at face value then.

Related Topics:
Mars - Solar system - Percival Lowell - Martian canal

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Currently Mars is depicted mainly as a target of terraforming. See Mars in fiction for more details on the red planet's numerous roles.

Related Topics:
Terraforming - Mars in fiction

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During the early-to-mid 20th century, Venus was also a popular subject. Venus is very similar to Earth in its size and surface gravity, and its surface is hidden by a thick cloud layer. Venus was usually depicted as a warm, wet, jungle- and marsh-covered world where life was plentiful, with often thinly-veiled allegories of the European colonization of Africa. Venus is in fact an inhospitable world — the clouds are sulfuric acid, the atmosphere is 90 times thicker than Earth's, and the surface temperature could melt lead. See Venus in fiction for more details and particular works.

Related Topics:
20th century - Venus - Colonization of Africa - Lead - Venus in fiction

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