A surprising piece of evidence has just been discovered on Venus – a planet that was once a twin of Earth – bringing scientists closer to the hope of finding life.
A new study published in The Planetary Science Journal has found shocking evidence of volcanic activity at Idunn Mons on Venus – a planet that NASA and several space agencies are targeting in their quest for extraterrestrial life.
Interesting image of Idunn Mons captured by the Magellan spacecraft – (Photo: NASA).
According to Phys.org, an international research team led by planetary scientist Piero D’Incecco from the Arctic Planetary Science Institute (Finland) utilized data from the ESA’s Venus Express orbiter and NASA’s Magellan spacecraft to identify evidence suggesting that “unexplained signals” at Idunn Mons indicate volcanic activity.
While Venus Express recorded images resembling lava flows across Idunn Mons, Magellan captured clear images of Sandel, which is distinctly a volcanic crater.
New analyses reveal that conditions on Venus would cause lava to degrade faster than previously calculated, so any signs of lava flow are evidence of recent volcanic activity, occurring within the last 1,000 years.
Evidence of geological activity on Venus is particularly significant because such activity helps maintain the planet’s climate and atmospheric balance, fostering an environment necessary for life, as well as sustaining the biochemical reactions essential for creating and maintaining life. Among the planets in the Solar System, only Earth is confirmed to have geological activity – a dynamic plate tectonics.
Researchers hope this work will serve as a necessary “guiding tool” for future Venus exploration missions such as VERITAS and DAVINCI+.
NASA and ESA both regard Venus as a promising candidate in the search for life, as there is considerable evidence suggesting it was born as a twin of Earth, before being devastated by the greenhouse effect and becoming too hot and rotating too slowly. However, there have also been studies published that have found signs of biological activity on this mysterious planet.
