Scientists have discovered a unique anomaly on Venus that they cannot explain

In August 2021, the BepiColombo space probe flew past Venus on its way to its final destination, Mercury, an international group of astronomers announced. Analyzing the received data, scientists discovered an anomaly. It turned out that ions "escape" from Venus through sunlight, which in turn accelerates the movement of molecules in the atmosphere. The speed was so high that even the gravity of the planet did not affect the ions.

The study of this phenomenon "is of crucial importance", the scientists noted. So they will be able to understand how the planet's atmosphere evolved and how it lost all its water.

For further research, planetary scientists intend to use data from robotic probes that will visit Venus over the next 10 years: the European spacecraft Envision, NASA's DAVINCI probe and the revived VERITAS mission.

The scientists' conclusions were published in the specialized research journal Nature Astronomy.

We will remind you that the Scientific Programs Committee of the European Space Agency has officially approved the mission to study Venus from the core to the atmosphere. A prime contractor for the EnVision mission will be selected by the end of 2024, after which development and production of the space station and science instruments will begin. The device will be launched in 2031 on a heavy European Arian 6 rocket.