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Research on Venus's moon absence and solar system evolution

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-22 06:12 UTC → 2026-09-23 08:52 UTC · added removed

Astrophysical research published in The Astrophysical Journal suggests that Venus lacks a moon due to natural tidal physics and the planet’s slow rotation, rather than an exotic planetary catastrophe. Computer modeling led by astrophysicist Stephen Kane of the University of California, Riverside, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bordeaux, indicates that any hypothetical moon orbiting Venus would likely have spiraled inward and been destroyed. While Earth’s rotation causes its moon to drift away, Venus’s slow rotation—taking approximately 242 to 243 Earth days—causes a moon to undergo orbital decay, moving toward the planet. Simulations suggest an embryonic moon could have existed for 30 million to nearly 2 billion years before crossing the Roche limit, the point where tidal gravity exceeds the moon’s own gravity. This would cause the satellite to be torn apart or collide with the planet’s surface. While the study does not confirm that Venus definitely had a moon, it demonstrates that the planet’s specific rotational characteristics would have made it extremely difficult to retain one. Recent findings Researchers describe this potential process as “celestial cannibalism,” suggesting Venus may have destroyed its own moon. Researchers propose such a collision could have occurred within the first billion years of the solar system's formation. Adding to the complexity of Venus’s history, a study titled ‘The Lost Oceans of Venus’ by researchers Richard Ghail, Eloise Crouch, and Philippa Mason suggests the planet may have once possessed vast oceans. By identifying geological structures like polygonal fracture patterns, researchers estimate an ancient ocean could have covered approximately 90% of the surface, with a volume equal to about 40% of Earth's oceans. The study proposes that extreme heating eventually caused these oceans to evaporate. Further research into solar system evolution suggests that significant planetary consumption events shaped the early solar system.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-23 08:52 UTC Research on Venus's moon absence and solar system evolution
  2. 2026-09-22 06:12 UTC Research on Venus's moon absence and solar system evolution
  3. 2026-09-22 02:50 UTC Research on the absence of a moon and ancient oceans on much
  4. 2026-09-20 00:20 UTC Research on the absence of a moon around Venus
  5. 2026-09-17 01:56 UTC Research on the absence of a moon around Venus
  6. 2026-09-16 09:41 UTC Research on the absence of a moon around Venus
  7. 2026-09-14 20:26 UTC Research on the absence of a moon around Venus

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