Planetary research: Are the lightning bolts in the atmosphere of Venus fireballs?
On occasion, space probes have observed luminous phenomena in the dense atmosphere of Venus. However, it is unclear whether these were actually electrical lightning. A new theory blames the flashes on burning meteorites.
© dottedhippo / Getty Images / iStock (details)
Burning meteorites can mimic lightning in Venus’ atmosphere.
They have been a mystery for decades: short-lived luminous phenomena in Venus’ atmosphere, usually interpreted as electrical flashes in permanent cloud cover. However, until now, even with various space probes, it has not been possible to prove it unambiguously as such. Although there are promising signs, there is no clarity here.
Now a research group led by Claire Blaskey of Arizona State University in Tempe proposes a different explanation for the flare on Venus: Instead of electrical lightning, the team hypothesizes that the majority of lightning is actually fireballs. Which arise from meteorites contained in the atmosphere of Venus. Because Venus is so close to the Sun, these small objects often move faster than near Earth, at about 25 kilometers per second, and relative to Earth at 20 kilometers per second. In addition, the orbital velocity of our inner neighbor planet is 35 kilometers per second higher (Earth: 30 kilometers per second). Both factors together mean that even smaller meteorites can produce bright fireballs in the dense atmosphere, more often than on Earth.
In their investigation, Plasky’s team used observations from the 61-centimeter telescope on Mount Bigelow in Arizona, as well as image data from the Japanese Akatsuki space probe, which has been orbiting Venus since 2015. From the data, the team concludes that there are between 10,000 and 100,000 A flash of light per year in the atmosphere of Venus. Most of them should be generated by meteorites, because according to current knowledge, the chemical composition of Venus’ atmosphere is not suitable for generating electrical lightning.
Flower in ultraviolet light In the ultraviolet, visible structures appear in the permanent cloud cover of our neighboring inner planet. In visible light, Venus appears almost uniformly white.
This is good news for future space probes, which will float on balloons in Venus’ atmosphere, or for landers that will descend slowly by parachute. Meteorites burn at an altitude of 100 kilometers, and unlike electrical discharges, they do not pose any danger to the electronics of space probes.
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