Venus was recently called Earth’s mysterious twin. Headlines like Venus is alive, have been noticed on news channels based on scientific discoveries recently. The reason for all these mesmerizing headlines and news reports, is as per the evidence found on the volcanic eruptions which take place on the surface of the planet Venus.
At first, scientists have seen direct evidence of active volcanism on Earth’s twin, setting the stage for the agency’s VERITAS mission to investigate. Direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity has been observed on the surface of Venus for the first time. Scientists made the discovery after poring over archival radar images of Venus taken more than 30 years ago, in the 1990s, by NASA’s Magellan mission. The images revealed a volcanic vent changing shape and increasing significantly in size in less than a year.
Scientists study active volcanoes to understand how a planet’s interior can shape its crust, drive its evolution, and affect its habitability. One of NASA’s new missions to Venus will do just that. Led by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, VERITAS – short for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy – will launch within a decade. The orbiter will study Venus from surface to core to understand how a rocky planet about the same size as Earth took a very different path, developing into a world covered in volcanic plains and deformed terrain hidden beneath a thick, hot, toxic atmosphere. Volcanoes act like windows into a planet’s interior, allowing scientists to understand more about what factors influence its ability to be a habitable world. Missions such as VERITAS will help scientists gain a better understanding of Venus, just as Magellan did decades ago.
The new mission will be outfitted with radar to create global 3D maps of Venus and capture details about its surface composition, gravitational field, and what unfolded in the planet’s past. This will help us identify the structure of the planet and if it is capable of holding life. Due to overpopulation on our planet, if another planet was brought to our notice which can hold life, the planet would be much healthier and so will the life of our people.
#science#space#venus#volcanic eruptions#volcanology
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