NASA has recently made a groundbreaking discovery about Venus, the second planet from the sun. Using old data collected by spacecraft, such as Magellan and Pioneer Venus Orbiter, NASA scientists have determined that beneath its thick atmosphere lies a mantle of molten rock that is “squishy” in nature. This squishiness could explain why Venus rotates so slowly compared to other planets in our solar system – it’s being remade by this shell of molten rock!
The activity within this squishy shell also explains another one of Venus’ mysteries: its lack of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics are responsible for creating mountains on Earth but until now it was unclear why they were absent on Venus. The new findings suggest that instead, volcanic eruptions may be occurring deep inside the planet’s mantle, which would prevent plates from forming and shifting around as they do here on Earth.
This exciting discovery has provided valuable insight into how planets form and evolve; something we still don’t fully understand yet! It will also help us better predict what conditions might look like outside our world when exploring other planetary systems in our universe – knowledge that can ultimately aid future space exploration efforts beyond our Solar System.
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