Luanda, Angola – A groundbreaking study published in Nature Astronomy has confirmed that Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, has never been habitable.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that Venus’s interior is “too dry” to have ever contained enough water to support oceans on its surface. The findings were derived from data collected by the James Webb Space Telescope, shedding light on Venus’s long-standing status as a scorching, inhospitable world.
The study focused on analysing the chemical composition of Venus’s atmosphere, particularly the volcanic gases that sustain it. These gases contain only 6% water, a stark contrast to Earth, where volcanic eruptions are dominated by water vapour due to the planet’s water-rich interior.
This limited presence of water in Venus’s volcanic emissions suggests that the planet’s mantle, the source of its magma, is also dehydrated. This lack of water likely prevented the conditions necessary for the formation of liquid water or oceans at any point in Venus’s history.
While the results provide a significant leap in understanding Venus’s climate evolution, scientists caution that definitive conclusions about its habitability will only be possible through direct exploration. “We won’t know for certain whether Venus could have ever hosted life until probes are sent later this decade,” said Tereza Constantinou, co-author of the study and researcher at the University of Cambridge. “However, it’s difficult to envision life without the presence of liquid water, and this planet clearly lacks it.”
This research marks an important step in planetary science, reinforcing the view of Venus as an extreme and uninhabitable environment while paving the way for future explorations to confirm its history.
