Scientists believe they have found evidence of recent volcanic eruptions on Venus, providing unprecedented evidence that Earth’s “devil’s twin” planet may still be geologically active. It offers.
Researchers compared radar images taken from space of the region with two large volcanoes between 1990 and 1992. Among them, in 1991, he found a crater that doubled in size and changed shape in eight months. Evidence of an eruption.Findings explained in new study(opens in new tab) It was published in the magazine chemistry.
Robert Herrick, a research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, explains why NASA chose the VERITAS mission.(opens in new tab)In his first Venus orbital study since the 1980s, he began looking for volcanic activity. After perusing the 30-year-old Magellan mission(opens in new tab) With an archive of about 200 hours or so, he found the jackpot.
“I never thought I would really succeed,” Herrick said in a statement.
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Venus has more volcanoes than any planet in the solar system, but it was previously unknown whether they were alive or ancient geological sites. , found evidence at Atla Regio with the volcanoes Ozza Mons and Maat Mons.Planetary scientists have long suspected(opens in new tab) According to NASA, the area is said to be volcanically active, but so far there has been no direct evidence.
“We speculate that a lava lake formed inside the crater during the eight-month gap between the images,” Herrick said.
Scientists want to study Venus to learn more about its potential past habitability.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
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However, there is a caveat. In the paper, the authors say they are unaware of volcanic craters on Earth with “changes of several kilometers” without lava eruptions. But they said, “We cannot rule out the possibility of this Venusian vent.”
Active volcanoes help scientists understand how a planet’s interior influences the formation of crust, the formation of continents and mountains, and potentially the emergence of life. One of NASA’s upcoming missions to Venus will delve deeper into this research. The space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California hopes to lead his VERITAS in 10 years.(opens in new tab), Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy. The mission will send an orbiter to explore the rocky planet from its surface to its core.
At the heart of the mission is a desire to learn how Venus, a planet roughly the size of Earth, evolved into this planetary alter ego. Venus is about 30% closer to the Sun, but much hotter, with a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead. The sweltering world has sulfuric acid clouds, deformed lands, and toxic atmospheres.Other Missions — NASA’s Da Vinci(opens in new tab) and the concept of the European Space Agency(opens in new tab) — A planned launch in the 2030s will attempt to unlock the mysteries of Venus from the skies.
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However, the future of the VERITAS project may be in jeopardy. NASA’s proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2024 is on hold without explanation.
According to The Planetary Society, “Up until this budget, the mission was on time and on budget.”(opens in new tab), a non-profit space advocacy group. “Not a fault per se, we are now facing indefinite delays, increasing the overall cost of the project, setbacks in our efforts to understand Venus, and hindering the participation of international partners in the mission. It is done.”
The organization is pressuring Congress to commit to a 2029 start date for the mission and funding.
