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Venus will have active volcanoes and rivers of lava flowing across its surface.

Venus, from an astronomical point of view, just a stone’s throw from our planet and even so we still don’t know exactly what’s going on in that neighboring hellish world. And for decades, this planet’s dense atmosphere has prevented us from seeing what lies beneath the thick clouds of sulfuric acid, acid rain and strong winds invading the upper layers of our solar neighbor. Now, thanks to a new analysis data obtained in the nineties Thanks to the Magellan spacecraft, a team of astronomers just collected the clearest evidence to date amazing phenomenon that happens on the surface of the planet. Not only does Venus have active volcanoes, but all indications are that recent lava flows may have even flowed across its lands.

Several studies on Venusian volcanism have already been published in recent years. It was initially thought that this neighboring planet might have seen intense volcanic activity in its early days, like many other worlds in the solar system, but would now be fairly inert. Later they started dating clues about volcanic movements recent. For example, a collection of information collected thirty years ago revealed the existence of a volcanic fissure on the surface of Venus, which doubled in size in just eight months and which experts believed may have been filled with lava.

A huge crack was discovered that had been growing for eight months, as well as at least two volcanically active areas.

The evidence presented in this latest analysis, published this Monday in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy, goes one step further. Information received by the Magallanes spacecraft indicates existence of active volcanic flows at least at two points in Venusian geography. On one side, on the western slope of Sif Mons, lies a region named after a goddess from Norse mythology. And on the other hand, on the plain of the Niobe Plain, located in the northern hemisphere of the planet. In both cases, these regions were thought to have been hotbeds of volcanic activity in the past, but now, thanks to this work, we know that these are areas where Despite everything, rivers of lava continue to flow.

Volcanic direction

The study of volcanic activity on Venus goes far beyond anecdotal evidence. First of all, thanks to these works we know that the Earth This is not the only planet in the solar system where volcanic activity still persists.. Secondly, studying the Venusian case helps to understand how volcanic activity can occur on a planet without a plate tectonic mechanism like ours. Moreover, studying these phenomena could help unravel the mystery of how two planets, born almost as twins, such as Earth and Venus, eventually diverged and life arose on one. everything went wrong with the other one.

All these unknowns will be solved in upcoming missions to Venus. Both the US agency NASA and the European agency ESA plan to use some of their solar system exploration missions to fly by Venus and collect information about its atmosphere. Russia, for its part, wants to launch the Venera-D probe later this year to study the planet’s atmosphere. And the American company Rocket Lab says it is preparing to send a small spacecraft to Venus. first private mission in history go to another planet.

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