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The atmosphere of Venus
Although Venus is a sort of twin of our planet, its conditions are extremely different in terms of size, mass and above all distance from the Sun. Venus in fact has a very dense atmosphere in which the greenhouse effect generates temperatures of over 400 degrees centigrade and enormous pressures, which make the planet an inhospitable environment for life. Furthermore, Venus has almost no water: it is estimated that there is 100 thousand times less water than on Earth, but according to the models of the formation of the Solar System, in the past it had almost as much as Earth.
I study
So far no theory has managed to convincingly explain the mechanism responsible for the disappearance of water from Venus, but according to the new study, a molecule that is widespread in the upper part of Venus’ atmosphere is facilitating the escape of water.
Indicated by the acronym HCO+, the molecule is composed of one hydrogen atom, one carbon and one oxygen atom; it forms when water evaporates due to high temperatures, reaching the upper layers of the atmosphere. Here the particular conditions cause the atoms to separate and subsequently recombine to form HCO+. This small molecule, however, does not survive for long and its breakage leads to the dispersion of hydrogen into space, thus robbing Venus of one of the two fundamental ingredients for water.
According to the authors of the research, this mechanism is still in place and to confirm it it would be necessary to send probes, more sensitive than those sent so far, capable of recognizing the presence of HCO+.
