Recent Studies On Magellan Mission's Data Heralds Large Volcanic Activity On Venus
- Ananya Sharma
- May 28, 2024
- 2 min read
Hello, Everyone!
In 1990, NASA's maiden spacecraft to map Venusian surface orbited Venus in early 1990 for its exploration. Since then, Magellan has been the only spacecraft deployed to study Venus.
However, the Italy-based scientists functioning for NASA spotted Volcanic events on the Venusian surface, and that too twice. The scientists have hinted at the fresh lava flows after re-analyzing the trove of data from NASA's Magellan Mission and have noted variations on the Venusian surface that were unnoticed by far.
A recent study claimed that there were fresh lava flows on the Venusian surface while Magellan was orbiting Venus in 1990 and 1992.
Through employing new instruments for carefully observing the repository of data shared by Magellan in the hunt for Volcanic events, it was discovered that among the hotspots the Western flank of Sif Mons Volcano and the Western Part of Niobe Planitia Volcano were regions of major volcanic activity featured by these two volcanoes with fresh lava flows.
The most intriguing part is that this recent discovery hints at the active nature of the Sif Mons volcano and Niobe Planitia volcano to date. This latest study and discovery imply the geologically dynamic behavior showcased by Venus.
Pic Source: Indian Express
However, it is noteworthy that this is not the first sign of Venus Volcanic activity. Previously, in March 2023 the observations done by a panel of scientists exhibited the differential nature of the size of volcanic vent present on the Venusian surface which surprisingly expanded in size in a year.
As per Davide Sulcanese who had been leading the study and is from d'Annunzio University in Pescara, Italy the observed volcanic activity level might be like what we see on our Earth.
This surprising revelation has been disclosed after a tight monitoring of the dual volcanic regions i.e. :
-> Western flank of Sif Mons Volcano
->Western Part of Niobe Planitia Volcano
Also, there is yet another reason to be enthralled for the space enthusiasts!! We can learn more about Venus. But how? Well, NASA is poised to send a new mission to Venus called VERITAS in the year 2031.
The VERITAS mission will enable us to deeply observe the Venusian surface and the Venusian core. The VERITAS mission will hopefully help us understand the mystery of its diverse evolution as compared to our Earth, regardless of Venus being approximately sized similar to our Earth.
Therefore, conclusively we can say that the enigmas of Venus are slowly being uncovered and it seems that hot Venus might fascinate us soon.
Thank You.
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This post is well-written and engaging, offering fascinating insights into recent discoveries of volcanic activity on Venus using data from NASA's Magellan mission. Excellent use of visuals and upcoming missions!
Informative blog post on volcanic activity featured on Venusian surface by carefully observing Magellan Mission's data...Great post