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1. 2 Sep 16

   Study shifts explanation from catastrophe to natural physics

   The research departs from previous theories that Venus either never formed a moon or lost one in a massive external impact. Kane's work shows Venus's moon loss could be a natural outcome of ordinary tidal physics, with the planet's slow spin being the decisive factor rather than requiring an exotic event.

   “My study shows Venus didn't require a catastrophe to arrive at what we can see today. It turns out the gravity of the planet itself combined with the rate at which it spins naturally caused the moon to collapse on top of it.”

   1. 4 outlets Why Venus Has No Moon: Tides Destroyed It

      first by srpske.rs, 12d ago · also Space Daily, Bangkok Post, Mashable

      4 more headlines

      • Venus may once have had a moon, but new simulations show that as the planet’s rotation slowed, tidal forces could have dragged the satellite inside the Roche limit and destroyed it—in some scenarios within just 30 million years. Space Daily · 9d ago
      • Venus may have swallowed its moon Bangkok Post · 9d ago
      • New Study Explains Why Venus Has No Moon Sci.News · 8d ago
      • Scientists say if Venus ever had a moon like ours, it was doomed Mashable · 8d ago
   2. 1 outlet Why does Venus have no moon? Its spin would destroy one if it had

      first by The Times, 8d ago

2. backgroundSep 16

   Kane: any Venusian moon would crash within first billion years — According to Kane's modeling, if Venus ever had a moon, it would have been consumed within the first billion years of Venus's history—well before the planet's major resurfacing event roughly a billion years ago that erased most of the geological record.

3. 3 Sep 16

   Mechanism explainedRotation speed determines moon survival

   The study identifies planetary rotation as the key factor. Earth rotates in 24 hours, transferring energy that pushes its moon outward at 4 cm per year. Venus rotates once every 243 Earth days, so a moon would receive no outward push and instead spiral inward due to tidal forces until crossing the Roche limit at roughly 17,000 km from Venus's center.

   “We know that the moon is slowly moving away from the planet, at a rate of around four centimeters per year. That movement is closely tied to Earth's relatively rapid rotation.”

4. 1 Sep 16

   UC Riverside study published on Venus moon loss mechanism

   Stephen Kane and colleagues at UC Riverside published research in The Astrophysical Journal proposing that Venus's slow rotation would cause any moon to spiral inward and crash into the planet. Computer simulations tested hypothetical moons ranging from half to ten times Earth's moon mass and found consistent results across most scenarios.

   1. 2 outlets Did Venus 'swallow' its own moon?

      first by BBC, 7d ago · also The Brighter Side of News

      1 more headline

      • Venus may have swallowed its own moon, new models finds The Brighter Side of News · 7d ago
   2. 1 outlet Venus may have swallowed its own moon

      first by Science Daily, 7d ago

   • S

     #^ Venus Moon Would Have Been Doomed From The Start, Says New Paper Venus likely never had a moon and even if it did, it would have soon been torn asunder by the planet’s own gravity, says prominent planetary astrophysicist.

     spaceinfo@libera.siteMastodon12d agoview on Mastodon ↗