die Magellan spacecraft It circled Venus several times between 1990 and 1992 and mapped its surface. The pictures taken that day are still there Very detailed records of the heavens. Researchers re-evaluated the data and found an active volcano on the planet as early as 2023. Now it was on old data Significantly more volcanic activity detected.
➤ Read More: How Venus went from a sea world to a dry hell
At the very least 2 more volcanoes As discovered by Italian researchers, it was said to have been active on Venus in the early 1990s. “Using these data, our results show that Venus may be more volcanically active than previously thought,” he said. David Sulcanese led the study. “By analyzing the lava flows we observed at 2 locations on the planet, we discovered volcanic activity on Venus. Compare that to what’s on Earth Maybe.”
The Magellan spacecraft was launched by the space shuttle Atlantis.
© NASA
Their research leads to a 2023 discovery First evidence of a recent volcanic eruption Venus provides on that day. By comparing different radar images taken by Magellan, the researchers found that molten rock filled a crater.
Researchers study to better understand how active volcanoes form on foreign planets. Volcanoes can provide information about a planet’s interior and crust, as well as details about its habitat.
Radar data from the survey were evaluated
For the study, the researchers evaluated radar data from the space probe. The radio waves transmitted by the radar break through Venus’ thick cloud cover and change reflected from the surface of the planet. These reflected signals carry information about the surface condition.
During this time Italian explorers looked at the volcano Sif Mons and the western part of the area Niobe Plinia In more detail. They found that signal strength increased in some trajectories during later orbits.
This shows that new rock has formed there. “We interpret these signals as flows on slopes or volcanic plains Like a liquid around obstacles “After ruling out other possibilities, our best explanation is that these are new lava flows,” said study co-author Marco Mastrogiusep.
90,000 material for Olympic swimming pools
Researchers estimate that new rock was deposited on average 3 to 20 meters Thick enough to fill a total of 90,000 Olympic swimming pools. By comparison, the 2022 Mauna Loa eruption ejected material for 100,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
More accurate data should be provided fact-task A study in this will explore the surface of Venus in more detail and clarify the question of whether water was or still is on the planet in the past or today. Work is Early 2031 the beginning.
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