【Mika Muroi Archives】

When Venusformed billions of years ago,Mika Muroi Archives the planet probably had about as much water as Earth.

Thick carbon dioxide clouds in Venus' atmosphere trap heat, making it the hottest planet in the solar system, despite it being farther from the sun in spacethan Mercury. The runaway greenhouse effect has raised the planet's temperature to a sizzling 900 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA. 

But scientists say evaporation from heat can't completely explain why Venus, sometimes known as Earth's evil twin, is the arid wasteland it is today. 

---

You May Also Like

---

---

"As an analogy, say I dumped out the water in my water bottle. There would still be a few droplets left," said Michael Chaffin, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, in a statement. 

On Venus, almost all of those remaining "drops" are gone, too, and a new study co-led by Chaffin puts forward a theory for how it has happened. The answer, according to the research, may be a molecule that could be in the planet's upper atmosphere, known as HCO+, which forms when water mixes with carbon dioxide. 

SEE ALSO: Lava poured out of a volcano on Venus, scientists find

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

What makes the finding somewhat odd is that scientists have never detected this molecule around Venus. The team published its researchin the journal Naturethis week. 

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

With computer simulations of the planet's chemistry, the scientists discovered that hydrogen atoms in the Venusian atmosphere could escape into space through so-called "dissociative recombination," causing the planet to lose twice as much water daily than previous estimates. 

To get a better sense of just how much less water Venus has than Earth, co-author Eryn Cangi explains it this way: If all of Earth's water could be spread evenly around the world, the planet would be covered in a nearly 2-mile-deep ocean. But on Venus, where almost all of the available water is steam in the air, that liquid would blanket the planet in a paltry single inch of water. 

Venus has the most volcanoes in the solar system, according to NASA. An astronomer recently discovered a volcanic eruption there, evidence that, however inhospitable to life, the planet is still geologically active. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Peter Rubin illustration

"Venus has 100,000 times less water than the Earth, even though it's basically the same size and mass," Chaffin said. 

---

Related Stories

---

• The most spectacular images of Venus ever captured
• NASA rover finds clear evidence of ancient waves, yes waves, on Mars
• Water worlds in the galaxy could be 100 times more common than once thought
• The curious new planets astronomers discovered in 2023
• Lava poured out of a volcano on Venus, scientists find

"Venus has 100,000 times less water than the Earth, even though it's basically the same size and mass."

The HCO+ molecule would form in the atmosphere, but individual ions wouldn't last long, according to the new theory. Instead, electrons in the atmosphere would seek these ions and recombine to split the ions. Through this process, hydrogen atoms would drift away, depleting the planet of one of the two necessary ingredients to make water. This could explain why Venus continues to lose water to space. 

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Despite scientists never having observed HCO+ around Venus, the research team thinks that might be because no spacecraft that has visited the world has had the right instruments to check. And even though there are upcoming missions planned to study Venus from the sky in the 2030s, such as NASA's DAVINCIand the European Space Agency's Envision, these robotic probes won't have the right tools to detect the molecule, either. 

But getting to the bottom of how Venus dried out could help scientists better understand what can happen to water elsewhere. 

"Water is really important for life," Cangi said. "We need to understand the conditions that support liquid water in the universe."

• Tech
• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Life
• Games
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Shopping

• Draper vs. Kokkinakis 2025 livestream: Watch Australian Open for free
• China’s chip industry association warns Chinese firms against purchasing US chips · TechNode
• Toyota sees growth in China in November after nine
• AI unicorn Zhipu raises $412 million in new funding round · TechNode
• Meta deletes all AI character profiles on Facebook, Insta after backlash
• Object hits Jupiter and explodes, space footage shows
• ByteDance recruits Alibaba's large model leader amid dispute · TechNode
• What is NASA+? Your guide to the streaming service
• Google 'Ask for me:' AI that calls businesses on your behalf for pricing and availability
• 9 Twitch streamers to guide you through the new Elden Ring DLC 

• Trans artists honor Transgender Day of Resilience with posters, poems
• How to explain Bitcoin and cryptocurrency to your parents
• MashReads Podcast: Catching up with Neil Patrick Harris
• Someone made a Lena Dunham Twitter bot that generates apologies
• When net neutrality is in peril, this old chart swoops in
• Little kid has some real issues with his younger sister's new boyfriend
• Authorities obtain warrant for Texas church shooter's iPhone
• Will Luke and Leia reunite in The Last Jedi? We've got a good feeling
• Don't believe that 'Aretha Franklin is dead' tweet
• All anyone cared about at the AMAs was South Korean boy band BTS

• CES 2025: Everything to expect
• Paris 2024 livestream: How to watch Paris 2024 for free
• Astronomers may have solved one of Webb space telescope's first puzzles
• XREAL launches new AR glasses XREAL One with native 3DoF spatial tracking · TechNode
• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids: $139.99 at Amazon
• Huawei Mate 70 series sells out on launch day, pre
• WeChat bans 209 accounts allegedly using AI to impersonate public figures · TechNode
• Colombia vs. Costa Rica 2024 livestream: Watch Copa America for free
• Best smart scale deal: Get 15% off an Etekcity scale at Amazon
• Webb telescope recorded sun explosions in a captivating solar system

• Video Games Are Better The Second Time You Play Them
• Valve launched a native game recorder app for Steam Deck
• NASA puzzles over why some exoplanets are shrinking
• Could humans have babies in space safely? Here's what we know.
• Best free gift card deal: Get $10 Best Buy gift card with $100 Apple gift card
• Porsche vows to "win back" Chinese consumers by 2026: executive · TechNode
• BYD invests in DJI’s automotive subsidiary · TechNode
• Paraguay vs. Brazil 2024 livestream: Watch Copa America for free
• Best fitness deal: The Merach R50 rowing machine is 35% off at Amazon
• Bed bug outbreaks are real. Here's what experts want you to know.