Venus May Have Devoured Its Moon, Scientists Find
Researchers modeled Venus’ slow spin and gravity and found a hypothetical moon could spiral inward, break apart, and be swallowed.
- A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal suggests Venus may have once possessed a moon that spiraled inward and was consumed by the planet's gravity.
- University of California, Riverside, astrophysicist Stephen Kane posits that rather than a catastrophic collision, the planet's slow rotation naturally caused the moon to collapse.
- Computer simulations revealed that Venus' 243-day rotation period lacks the energy to push a moon outward, dooming any natural satellite to spiral inward and break apart.
- The findings could influence investigations into the habitability of distant worlds, suggesting a stable moon might be essential for a planet's long-term environmental evolution.
- Confirming the existence of a past Venuvian moon remains difficult, as some 80 percent of the planet's surface was paved over by volcanic activity billions of years ago.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Venus is known as Earth's "evil twin," but a new study reveals intriguing details about its history. Did Venus swallow its moon? Venus is often called Earth's "evil twin" because they are similar in size, formed in the same inner solar system, and are also neighbors. However, as the nickname suggests, Venus is not habitable as we know it… The article "Did Venus Swallow Its Moon? A New Study Reveals the Truth" first appeared on Battery Robotics.
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SIC NotíciasA new study does not prove that Venus had a moon. It shows only that if a moon had formed, it could not have survived throughout the entire history of the planet.
For a long time, scientists have been debating the absence of a moon on Venus despite having a size, mass and structure similar to those on Earth.
A new shocking discovery could rewrite our understanding of space. Based on a computer simulation, researchers suggest that Venus may have once had its own moon. However, the celestial body may have drifted closer to the planet over time, until it was eventually swallowed by Venus itself.
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