Posted on Mar 17, 2023
Volcanic activity on Venus spotted in radar images, scientists say
504
6
1
4
4
0
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/17/ [login to see] /volcanic-activity-on-venus-spotted-in-radar-images-scientists-say
Researchers scouring decades-old spacecraft data have found clear signs of recent volcanic activity on Venus. The findings, published in the journal Science, reveal not only that the planet's surface is currently a turbulent place, but offer insights into its geological past and future.
By any measure, Venus is a hellscape: crushing pressures, a toxic atmosphere, and surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. It's like a scene lifted straight from Dante's Inferno.
It's "my favorite planet," says Robert Herrick, a planetary scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Despite all its hostility, Venus — our nearest planetary neighbor — is actually pretty similar to Earth. So much so that Herrick calls it our "true sibling" in the solar system. The resemblance is "driven by what's going on in their interior," he says.
"Aside from Earth," Herrick says, "it's the only planet that has true mountain ranges and a huge variety of volcanic features." These features include lava fields, canals carved by molten rock, and hundreds, if not thousands of volcanoes.
Researchers scouring decades-old spacecraft data have found clear signs of recent volcanic activity on Venus. The findings, published in the journal Science, reveal not only that the planet's surface is currently a turbulent place, but offer insights into its geological past and future.
By any measure, Venus is a hellscape: crushing pressures, a toxic atmosphere, and surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. It's like a scene lifted straight from Dante's Inferno.
It's "my favorite planet," says Robert Herrick, a planetary scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Despite all its hostility, Venus — our nearest planetary neighbor — is actually pretty similar to Earth. So much so that Herrick calls it our "true sibling" in the solar system. The resemblance is "driven by what's going on in their interior," he says.
"Aside from Earth," Herrick says, "it's the only planet that has true mountain ranges and a huge variety of volcanic features." These features include lava fields, canals carved by molten rock, and hundreds, if not thousands of volcanoes.
Volcanic activity on Venus spotted in radar images, scientists say
Posted from npr.org
Research
Space
Science
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google