Scientists May Have Solved Mystery of Venus' Lost Water

Our planetary neighbor Venus is thought to have once had water, like Earth, but how it became the hellish world it is today has remained a mystery to scientists for decades.Now, however, researchers suggest that Venus may have lost its water via a chemical reaction called HCO+ dissociative recombination, according to a new study in the journal Nature.This new theory may solve some discrepancies in previous hypotheses of how Venus dried out, the researchers say.

This would have led to the evaporation of any surface water, an increase in atmospheric pressure and subsequent extreme temperatures, transforming the planet into the inhospitable place it is today.According to the research, Venus may have lost all its evaporated water from its atmosphere via a chemical reaction called HCO+ dissociative recombination. This is a process by which HCO+ ions combine with electrons to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen atoms, which are then lost to space.

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