Venus may have pulled in and destroyed its own moon, study suggests

The short version

• Simulations by University of California, Riverside researchers suggest that if Venus ever had a moon, its slow rotation and gravity would have pulled the satellite inward until it broke apart and crashed into the planet.[Wired]
• Venus rotates once every 243 Earth days, making it the slowest spinner in the solar system, which prevents orbital satellites from being pushed outward under typical conditions.[Wired]
• The research does not prove a moon ever existed, and physical evidence remains unconfirmed because volcanic and tectonic activity resurfaced Venus hundreds of millions of years ago.[Wired]

Key facts

• Venus shares a similar mass, size, and structure with Earth but does not possess a moon.[Wired]
• Venus is the slowest-spinning planet in the solar system, completing one rotation every 243 Earth days.[Wired]
• Astrophysicist Steven Kane's team tested hypothetical moons with masses ranging from 0.01 to 10 times Earth's moon across varied planetary rotation rates.[Wired]
• Under most simulated conditions, a satellite spiraled inward, broke apart, and collapsed onto Venus.[Wired]
• A simulated moon could survive up to 4.5 billion years only under artificial conditions where Venus rotated once every 10 to 12 hours.[Wired]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Venus May Have Devoured Its MoonWired metered