Active volcanoes on Venus

• Recently, a study of NASA Magellan spacecraft’s captured images of Venus’ surface from different orbits gave new evidence of Venus having active volcanoes.
• A 2.2 square kilometre volcanic vent showed signs of drained lava, the radar images indicated that the same vent had doubled in size and the lava lake seemed to have reached the rim. The vent is associated with Maat Mons.
  • A volcanic vent is a spot through which molten rock erupts.
  • Maat Mons is the planet’s second-highest volcano. It sits in the Atla Regio, a vast highland region near Venus’ equator.

Magellan Mission

• NASA’s Magellan mission to Venus was one of the most successful deep space missions.
• It was the first spacecraft to image the entire surface of Venus and made several discoveries about the planet it was launched on May 4, 1989.

Other upcoming Expeditions to Venus

• Indian Space Research Organisation’s Shukrayaan-1 to study Venus geological and volcanic activity.
• Europe’s Envision (scheduled in 2032).
• NASA’s VERITAS and DAVINCI (in the 2030s).

About Venus:

• It is the second closest planet to the sun and the sixth-largest planet in the solar system.
• Known as earth’s twin.
• Hottest planet in the solar system and its extreme temperatures (450⁰ C) and acidic clouds make it an unlikely place for life.
• Along with Uranus it spins backwards with respect to other planets i.e. Its sun rises in the west and sets in the east.
• Along with Mercury it has no moons and no rings.