Interest in the Moon has grown exponentially in recent years, as many researchers have focused on studies related to it. Some researchers believe that Earth and Venus may have shared several traits in the past before Venus was converted into an inhospitable planet.
A new study argues that important information about how Venus used to be in the past could be found in Venusian rocks that found their way to the surface of the Moon, a consequence of asteroids that struck the planet during the early formation stages.
Savage impacts
While the number of impacts has fallen in recent years, the situation was different billions of years ago, when the solar system was very young. Asteroid impacts would have dislodged material more easily since the massive rocks moved faster in comparison to modern asteroids.
It is theorized that the landscape was also different on Venus, as a thin atmosphere was present, shielding the planet from the sun and favoring the formation of liquid oceans on the surface. Such scenarios favor the movement of debris that could be dislodged by a substantial impactor.
Stable surface
Since the Moon doesn’t feature plate tectonics or winds that can favor erosions, all the objects that have reached the surface can be found, even if they might have been damaged or buried by additional impacts within the same area. Future Moon mission has the potential to uncover Venusian materials and send interesting data to Earth.
Ancient Venusian fragments would be a significant boon for researchers, as they could allow them to create an accurate scientific assessment of the planet before greenhouse gases came into action and compromised the posibiliy of life on the surface of the planet. Some theories argue that asteorids and other impacts may have contributed to the healing process.
The study has been published in a scientific journal.