VENUS

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Picture Courtesy: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/venus-had-water-like-earth-we-finally-know-how-all-of-it-evaporated-2536170-2024-05-07

Context: A recent study published in the research magazine Nature by a group of US scientists examines why water disappeared from Venus.

Key Findings from the Study

Role of Hydrogen Chemistry

• The study shows that hydrogen chemistry in Venus's atmosphere plays a crucial role in the loss of water. Specifically, a molecule called HCO+ (which contains one atom each of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen) interacts with electrons high in the planet's atmosphere. This interaction splits HCO+ into hydrogen atoms, which then escape into space. This process effectively robs Venus of hydrogen, one of the key components of water (H2O).

Escape of Hydrogen Atoms

• The hydrogen atoms produced from the breakdown of HCO+ are able to escape Venus's atmosphere into space. This phenomenon, driven by hydrogen chemistry, contributes significantly to the loss of water from the planet over time.

Water Loss Estimation

• The study estimates that the splitting of HCO+ and subsequent loss of hydrogen atoms could result in Venus losing twice as much water as previously estimated by other studies.

About Venus

• It is the second planet from the Sun; it is a terrestrial planet with extreme conditions.
• Venus has the densest atmosphere among the terrestrial planets, mainly composed of carbon dioxide with thick sulfuric acid clouds covering the globe.
• The surface temperature averages around 464 °C, and the atmospheric pressure is about 92 times that of Earth's at sea level.
• Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system due to its thick atmosphere rich in greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which traps heat.
• The planet has a core, mantle, and crust similar to Earth, but lacks plate tectonics. Instead, its surface is shaped by active volcanism. Venus's internal heat escapes through volcanic activity, contributing to resurfacing processes.
• Venus is unique among the planets in our solar system because it rotates on its axis in a clockwise direction, also known as retrograde rotation.
  • The sun would rise in the west and set in the east, which is opposite to the rotation direction of most other planets, including Earth.
  • Venus and Uranus are the only two planets in our solar system that exhibit this unusual "backwards" rotation.
• A Venusian day lasts longer than its year, taking approximately 243 Earth days. The orbit of Venus around the Sun takes about 224.7 Earth days.
• Venus is one of two planets (other Mercury) in the Solar System that does not have any moons.

Source:

Telegraph

Britannica