Researchers deal a blow to theory that Venus once had liquid water on its surface
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066347
INTRO: A team of astronomers has found that Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that our closest planetary neighbour was once much more like Earth than it is today.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, studied the chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere and inferred that its interior is too dry today for there ever to have been enough water for oceans to exist at its surface. Instead, the planet has likely been a scorching, inhospitable world for its entire history.
The results, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, have implications for understanding Earth’s uniqueness, and for the search for life on planets outside our Solar System. While many exoplanets are Venus-like, the study suggests that astronomers should narrow their focus to exoplanets which are more like Earth... (MORE - details, no ads)
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Deena Dawson: "But grandpa, even as an introverted juvenile in the 1960s, you had long since given up hope that there were ever any sky-high trees with cities squatting on their branches, winged men, monsters, warring kingdoms and princesses in need of rescue, right? Right? Grandpa?" --Downbeat and Doped in the Carson of Venus Cult
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https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066347
INTRO: A team of astronomers has found that Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that our closest planetary neighbour was once much more like Earth than it is today.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, studied the chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere and inferred that its interior is too dry today for there ever to have been enough water for oceans to exist at its surface. Instead, the planet has likely been a scorching, inhospitable world for its entire history.
The results, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, have implications for understanding Earth’s uniqueness, and for the search for life on planets outside our Solar System. While many exoplanets are Venus-like, the study suggests that astronomers should narrow their focus to exoplanets which are more like Earth... (MORE - details, no ads)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Deena Dawson: "But grandpa, even as an introverted juvenile in the 1960s, you had long since given up hope that there were ever any sky-high trees with cities squatting on their branches, winged men, monsters, warring kingdoms and princesses in need of rescue, right? Right? Grandpa?" --Downbeat and Doped in the Carson of Venus Cult
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