Venus was Earth-like until climate disaster turned it into hell planet
- 5 years ago
VENUS — New research shows that Venus may have once been habitable like Earth, before it was turned into a hell-like planet by a mysterious event.
According to the Europlanet Society, NASA's Pioneer Venus found evidence in 1978 that Venus may have once had shallow oceans on its surface.
To see if it has ever had a stable climate that can support liquid water, researchers from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies created a series of five simulations with different levels of water coverage.
According to all five scenarios, Venus maintained a stable temperature of between 20 to 50 degrees Celsius for about 3 billion years. This means it would have been able to support liquid water, and possibly allow life to emerge.
Researchers believe a massive resurfacing event 700 million years ago triggered an outgassing of carbon dioxide that made Venus' atmosphere too hot and dense for life to survive.
The exact cause of the resurfacing event is unknown, but scientists say it may be linked to volcanic activity.
Magma and molten rock flowing up to the surface would have released large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If magma solidifies before reaching the top, it can create a barrier that would have prevented gas from being reabsorbed.
Although more missions are needed to better understand Venus' history and evolution, the recent findings have implications for exoplanets in the "Venus-zone", and how they may actually host liquid water and temperate climates.
According to the Europlanet Society, NASA's Pioneer Venus found evidence in 1978 that Venus may have once had shallow oceans on its surface.
To see if it has ever had a stable climate that can support liquid water, researchers from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies created a series of five simulations with different levels of water coverage.
According to all five scenarios, Venus maintained a stable temperature of between 20 to 50 degrees Celsius for about 3 billion years. This means it would have been able to support liquid water, and possibly allow life to emerge.
Researchers believe a massive resurfacing event 700 million years ago triggered an outgassing of carbon dioxide that made Venus' atmosphere too hot and dense for life to survive.
The exact cause of the resurfacing event is unknown, but scientists say it may be linked to volcanic activity.
Magma and molten rock flowing up to the surface would have released large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. If magma solidifies before reaching the top, it can create a barrier that would have prevented gas from being reabsorbed.
Although more missions are needed to better understand Venus' history and evolution, the recent findings have implications for exoplanets in the "Venus-zone", and how they may actually host liquid water and temperate climates.