NASA’s Magellan spacecraft has provided direct evidence of volcanic activity on Venus, previously thought to be a dead planet.

Evidence of Volcanic Activity Discovered on Venus

NASA’s Magellan spacecraft has provided direct evidence of volcanic activity on Venus, previously thought to be a dead planet. The spacecraft used radar to capture images of a volcano's caldera growing dramatically in a sudden collapse.

The discovery, published in Science and presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, makes Venus the third planetary body in the Solar System with active magma volcanoes, joining Earth and Io. The discovery means future missions to Venus can study new rock samples that provide a glimpse of the planet's interior.

The discovery of more volcanoes, in old or future data, will also help scientists understand how Venus is shedding its interior heat and evolving. The upcoming Venus missions, the European EnVision orbiter and NASA’s DAVINCI and VERITAS missions, are expected to provide more insights into the geologic life of Venus.