According to experts, Venus went from being very similar to Earth to becoming a hellish planet: what happened? Here’s the new theory.
Venus, the second planet of our Solar System, must once have looked very similar to Earth: even today they have numerous traits in common, including the fact that they are both rocky planets of similar size and density. However, they differ in some essential characteristics, such as the presence of water (which is almost non-existent on Venus) and the temperature on the planet’s surface. How can all this be explained? Scientists have now developed a new, very interesting theory.
Venus, the infernal Planet
We’ve seen that Venus looks a lot like Earth, so much so that he is often nicknamed his “twin”. In the past this must have been truer than ever: according to scientists, the planet hosted a large amount of water, probably in similar proportions to what we have on Earth today. So how could Venus almost completely lose its water resources, up to become a hellish planet which has a surface temperature exceeding 400°C (enough to even melt lead)?
Experts have been thinking about it for years: the planet is located in the habitable belt of the Solar System, or that region within which a celestial body can host liquid water on its surface. And in the past it was exactly like that, but today there is almost no trace of that water anymore. It is believed that, at some point in its evolution, Venus developed carbon dioxide clouds in its atmosphere which triggered a runaway greenhouse effect, causing temperatures to rise and triggering the evaporation of water. However, this is not enough to explain the existence of a Hell Planet.
The new theory on the water of Venus
A team of researchers fromUniversity of Colorado Boulder has thoroughly investigated this mystery, finding a new theory that could finally explain what really happened to Venus. The scientists, who published their paper on Naturethey suspect that the responsibility for the transformation of the planet lies in one small molecule, called HCO+. This molecule is made up of one hydrogen atom, one carbon and one oxygen atom. The positive charge is given by the fact that the ion lacks the electrons necessary to balance the presence of protons.
However, the Venusian atmosphere is rich in electrons that quickly recombine with HCO+ molecules, causing them to split in two. According to experts, this could cause the “escape” of hydrogen atoms, which as we well know are fundamental for giving life to water (whose formula is H2O, or two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen). If this turns out to be true, we would have the possible answer to the puzzle as to why Venus has become such a barren planet: due to an excess of HCO+ molecules in its atmosphere.
There’s still one problem, though: experts have never found these molecules around Venus. This does not mean that they are not there, but rather that we have not yet been able to identify them. While many missions have already focused on Mars, Earth’s other “neighbor”, very few have allowed astronomers to study Venus. And so far no spacecraft sent to the planet had the instruments needed to detect the presence of HCO+. Probably, they will be organized in the future missions of this type and we will finally have a definitive answer.
