Life Within Our Solar System

Besides Earth, the inner planets seem to struggle supporting life. Mercury is far too close to the Sun. Venus is too close and has thick, toxic clouds. Mars is a possibility, because it has frozen water (and may have had liquid water at one point), but the atmosphere is very thin.

The outer planets are gas giants, meaning they are mostly made up of gas. That means even if they had life, it would be very different from what is found on Earth. Most of these gas giants are made up of harmful gases.

The two best possibilities of life inside the solar system are Mars and one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. These two are the best candidates because they may have several ingredients that are essential for life, including carbon, nitrogen, and water.