Brian Cox, an English physicist who serves as professor of particle physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester has suggested that Mars, Venus and even Mercury were once blue planets. The physicist is expected to make this revelation in the upcoming blockbuster BBC2 series, The Planets.
Even though the physicist suggests the possibility of rivers and seas on the surface of these planets in the ancient days, Venus and Mercury are now burning hot, while Mars is frozen. The physicist strongly believes that the now roasting surfaces of Venus and Mercury, and the frozen surface of Mars were once suitable for life, The Times reports.
Venus is widely considered as earth's evil twin due to its similar size, mass, and proximity to the sun. Brian Cox believes that Venus might be the first water world in the solar system with oceans and river on its surface. He suggests that these water bodies might have stayed that way for more than two billion years, and this time period is sufficient enough for life to evolve. Cox argues that the planet might have dried up just 700 million years ago.
The physicist also claimed that during the formation of Mercury, the planet might be much larger than it is now, and it had an atmosphere and water to sustain life.
Even though Mercury and Venus had water in its surface in the ancient days, Brian Cox strongly believes that the strong contender to hold alien life on the solar system in the past will be Mars.
"Once upon a time the red planet was glistening blue. Streams ran down hillsides and rivers wound through valleys," said Brian Cox.
The comment from Brian Cox about Mars comes at a time where space agencies like NASA are busy preparing plans for Mars colonization. Several experts have also revealed that humans should colonize Mars very soon in the future to protect the species from the verge of extinction due to apocalyptic events.
