The planet Venus makes its transit across the Sun as seen from Kathmandu, Nepal. (Photo : REUTERS)
Astronomers have discovered volcanic activity on Venus and it could have bigger implications when it comes to studying the processes in the planet's interior, surface and atmosphere.
The team’s findings indicate that Venus is having more volcanic activities than previously thought. Earth’s nearby planet is still stirring with its heat signatures and appearing and disappearing acts. They have gathered evidences pointing out the recent active acts of Venus.
The evidences were taken from the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft, using its Venus Monitoring Camera to detect signs of hot lava flowing on the planet. Astronomers have taken images that displayed transient bright spots in a rift zone known as Ganiki Chasma, suggesting that Venus is having active volcanic eruptions. There is rise in temperature caused by flowing lava. The bright spots only appear along the rift lines that cross the planet’s surface, Los Angeles Times reported.
The images indicate that these bright spots were several hundred degrees in temperature and its size vary from half a mile squared to 125 square. It also suggests that the volcanic activity could be happening on a regular basis, showing some brief clouds of gases related to volcanic activities that could be explained by the chemical reactions happening in the planet’s dynamic atmosphere, according to Christian Science Monitor.
Study co-author James Head, planetary geoscientist at Brown University, said that the findings may help people and the scientists to know more about Earth and it history. The result of the study is the product of international collaborations of different studies for many years and its importance explore the understanding of the solar system.
