Venusians

In science fiction and in the beliefs of ufology, a Venusian () or Venerian is a native inhabitant of the planet Venus. Many science fiction writers have imagined what extraterrestrial life on Venus might be like.
Etymology
The word Venusian - sometimes spelled Venutian - is a simple combination of the name of the planet Venus and the suffix -ian, formed by analogy to Martian and other similar demonyms.
The classically derived demonym is Venerean or Venerian (cf. "belonging to the goddess Venus"), but these forms have been used by only a few authors (e.g. Robert A. Heinlein). Scientists sometimes use the adjective Cytherean for things related to Venus, from epithet Cytherea. (The similarly derived Venereal is not used due to its association with venereal diseases, i.e. sexually transmitted diseases.)
In fiction
Venusians appearing in works of fiction are usually fanciful, rather than plausible inhabitants of the planet. Before the mid 20th century, little was generally known about the planet except that it was solid and comparable in size to Earth; its cloud cover obscured remote observation of its environment. This allowed writers to speculate that Venusians might be similar to humans or other Earth species, much as they did for fictional Martians. As more was learned about the atmospheric density and heat on Venus, and the implausibility of humanoid or other life on it, Venusians became increasingly uncommon in science fiction.
In ufology
In the 1950s, a group of contactees told stories in which they claimed to be in contact with friendly, light-haired, light-skinned humans from the planet Venus, as well as other planets in Earth's solar system. The first contactee was George Adamski of Palomar Mountain, California. He claimed that on November 20, 1952, he met a Venusian named Orthon in a California desert. Adamski said that Orthon had communicated with him via telepathy about the dangers of nuclear war and that he left behind footprints with mysterious symbols on them. Adamski also displayed numerous photographs that he claimed showed the Venusian UFOs, and he said some of the photos had been given to him by Orthon. Copies of these photos were sold to visitors at Adamski's campground and restaurant at Palomar Mountain, but later studies by UFO investigators indicated that the photos were fakes; one scientist who analyzed the photos of a Venusian "scout ship" said the UFO's "landing struts" were General Electric light bulbs. Following Adamski's story, others, such as Howard Menger, George Hunt Williamson, Truman Bethurum, George Van Tassel, and Daniel Fry, also wrote books and gave lectures in which they claimed to have met similar friendly, light-skinned humanoids from Venus and other planets in Earth's solar system, and to have taken trips with them in their spaceships. These humanoids were later called Nordic aliens. In his later books Howard Menger recanted the claim the humanoids originated from our solar system and instead claimed the humanoids visited Venus or had bases in our solar system but he thought they lived elsewhere outside of our star system.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the contactee movement garnered some popular interest through books, lectures, and conventions, such as the annual Giant Rock UFO conventions in California. In May 1959, Adamski had a private audience with Queen Juliana of the Netherlands to discuss his claimed UFO experiences, which caused some controversy in the Netherlands.
Numerous investigations of the contactee movement revealed many flaws and inaccuracies in the contactees' claims that led most researchers to conclude that their stories were hoaxes. Among the pieces of evidence noted by critics was that Venus has an environment that is extremely hostile to human life and that none of the other planets in Earth's solar system are capable of supporting humanoid life. Also, investigators such as USAF Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the head of the Air Force's Project Blue Book, and ufologist James W. Moseley conducted extensive investigations into the claims and backgrounds of Adamski, Williamson, and other contactees, and concluded that they were either con artists or simply not being truthful in their stories and claims.
In religion
* In the teachings of the UFO religion the Unarius Academy of Science, the capital of Venus, which, like the Venusians themselves, is said to exist on a higher vibratory plane, is called Azure.
* Theosophical guru Benjamin Creme subscribes to the Theosophical view that the Nordic aliens (like those seen by George Adamski—Creme accepts Adamski's UFO sightings as valid) pilot flying saucers from a civilization on Venus that exists on the etheric plane (Theosophists believe that since the Venusians' civilization is on the etheric plane, the heat does not affect them) and are capable of stepping down the level of vibration of themselves and their craft to the slower level of vibration of the atoms of the physical plane. It is also believed in Theosophy that the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, is a Nordic alien originally from Venus. Sanat Kumara is said to live in a palace in a mythical city on the etheric plane of Earth called Shamballa, which is said by Theosophists to be located above the Gobi Desert.

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