Researchers at the University of California, Riverside modeled how Venus' extremely slow rotation—243 Earth days per spin—combined with its gravity could have gradually dragged a hypothetical moon inward until it broke apart and was absorbed by the planet. Lead author Steven Kane says this process wouldn't have required a catastrophic collision, contradicting an earlier theory that Venus' moon was destroyed by an impact with another body. The team built a computer simulation of gravitational interactions to test this mechanism.
wired.com
· 2026-09-24
The European Space Agency is pressing ahead with its Envision mission to Venus after NASA signaled it likely can't deliver the US-built synthetic aperture radar it had promised under a 2024 partnership agreement. That radar was meant to be the spacecraft's main tool for mapping the planet's volcanic surface through its thick sulfuric-acid clouds at ten times the resolution of NASA's 1990s Magellan mission. ESA's project scientist says development will continue at full pace regardless.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-10
Stargazers can look forward to several notable sky events in September 2026, including Venus appearing near the bright star Spica on September 1-2, and the moon passing close to the Pleiades star cluster on September 3. Later in the month, Venus will hit peak brightness, Neptune will reach its best viewing position of the year, and a minor meteor shower will follow August's Perseids.
wired.com
· 2026-09-01
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