Study Reveals Venus' Lower Haze Composed of Cosmic Dust

<p>Venus has long been associated with a mysterious yellowish haze at the bottom of its atmosphere, first observed by the Venera and Pioneer Venus probes in the 1970s. This haze remained unexplained for decades until recent research shed light on its composition.</p><p>New findings indicate that the haze consists of particles from meteorites. As these meteors, often referred to as “shooting stars,” burn up in Venus' atmosphere, they leave behind cosmic dust particles. A study led by planetary scientist Hiroki Karyu and his team at Tohoku University in Sendai City, Japan, utilized a microphysical model to understand the formation of this haze. This model examines the micro-scale processes that lead to cloud formation and precipitation.</p><p>Karyu stated, “The continuous influx of cosmic dust is sufficient to sustain this lower haze layer with the particle size distribution observed by the entry probes.” He added that these haze particles of cosmic origin serve as effective condensation nuclei, facilitating cloud formation in the main cloud deck, even at distances far from their original source. The findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.</p>