Venus' mysterious haze is actually cosmic dust
Researchers from Tohoku University have determined that the mysterious haze in Venus's atmosphere is caused by cosmic dust from meteorites. Using a microphysical model, the team explained how these particles interact with sulfuric acid to create the observed haze layer.
Why it matters
This discovery solves a decades-old planetary science mystery and improves our understanding of atmospheric processes on other planets.
Cosmic haze Venus’ mysterious haze is actually cosmic dust A physical model show that iron dust and sulfuric acid create the right properties.
2 Credit: JAXA / ISAS / DARTS / DAMIA BOUIC. Credit: JAXA / ISAS / DARTS / DAMIA BOUIC. Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Venus is shrouded in a veil of mystery. The yellowish “lower haze” at the bottom of its atmosphere was discovered by the Venera and Pioneer Venus probes in the 1970s. These spacecraft were some of the first to successfully send images of the planet back to Earth, but the haze they saw went unexplained for decades. Now the mystery Venus was keeping has been unveiled.
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