Recent studies suggest that Earth’s neighboring planet, Venus, may have once been a lush oasis with abundant water resources. However, this water has since disappeared, leaving Venus a barren and desolate wasteland.
Venus and Earth are often called twins due to their similar size and mass, but their environments are vastly different. Venus currently only has one hundred thousandth of the water content of Earth, earning it the nickname of “hell” due to its extreme temperatures and lack of water.
Scholars from the University of Colorado at Boulder have conducted computer simulations that indicate billions of years ago, Venus was teeming with water. The planet’s clouds caused a massive greenhouse effect, leading to surface temperatures reaching nearly 500 degrees Celsius and causing most of the water to evaporate.
Unfortunately, the high temperatures prevented the water from solidifying, allowing it to float into space and be lost forever. The remaining hydrogen atoms in the atmosphere were also ejected into space, leaving Venus almost entirely devoid of water.
Researchers are hopeful that future missions to Venus will be able to observe this water loss process and provide further insight into why the planet is so water-scarce today. The theory that Venus once had water but lost it due to the greenhouse effect offers a new perspective on the planet’s stark differences from Earth.