Venus Express
Was Venus once a waterworld?
 © J. Whatmore
|
This artist’s concept of Venus, dated 2006, suggests the presence of lightning in the atmosphere.
One difference stands out: Venus has very little water. Were the contents of Earth’s oceans to be spread evenly across the world, they would create a layer 3 km deep. If you were to condense the amount of water vapour in Venus’ atmosphere onto its surface, it would create a global puddle just 3 cm deep.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.
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» Venus Express
Venus Express
Was Venus once a waterworld?
© J. Whatmore
|
This artist’s concept of Venus, dated 2006, suggests the presence of lightning in the atmosphere.
One difference stands out: Venus has very little water. Were the contents of Earth’s oceans to be spread evenly across the world, they would create a layer 3 km deep. If you were to condense the amount of water vapour in Venus’ atmosphere onto its surface, it would create a global puddle just 3 cm deep.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.
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Venus Express
Was Venus once a waterworld?
© J. Whatmore
|
This artist’s concept of Venus, dated 2006, suggests the presence of lightning in the atmosphere.
One difference stands out: Venus has very little water. Were the contents of Earth’s oceans to be spread evenly across the world, they would create a layer 3 km deep. If you were to condense the amount of water vapour in Venus’ atmosphere onto its surface, it would create a global puddle just 3 cm deep.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.
Yet there is another similarity here. Billions of years ago, Venus probably had much more water. Venus Express has certainly confirmed that the planet has lost a large quantity of water into space.
It happens because ultraviolet radiation from the Sun streams into Venus’ atmosphere and breaks up the water molecules into atoms: two hydrogens and one oxygen. These then escape to space.
Venus Express has measured the rate of this escape and confirmed that roughly twice as much hydrogen is escaping as oxygen. It is therefore believed that water is the source of these escaping ions. It has also shown that a heavy form of hydrogen, called deuterium, is progressively enriched in the upper echelons of Venus’s atmosphere, because the heavier hydrogen will find it less easy to escape the planet’s grip.