News Planetary Science

Asteroid impacts may explain Venus’ missing oxygen

Pulverized rock dust could have absorbed remnants of planet’s lost water, simulations suggest

Venus

THE PLANET NEXT DOOR  Ancient asteroid impacts may be responsible for the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere of Venus, whose surface is shown here in this false-color map from the Magellan spacecraft.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

By Christopher Crockett

- More than 2 years ago

Asteroid impacts might be to blame for sweeping oxygen out of the atmosphere of Venus, a new study suggests — oxygen that was left behind after the planet lost most of its water.