Study: Venus Cannot Support Life Because of Jupiter

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A recent study by scientists from the University of California, Riverside (UCR), found that Venus might have been hospitable if it were not for Jupiter. Venus is known as the hottest planet in the solar system, with a surface temperature of almost 471 degrees Celsius. According to the new findings, Venus’s extreme heat and inability to host life likely resulted from Jupiter’s movements in the past. The scientists explained that during Jupiter’s early formation, the planet moved closer to the Sun before moving farther away again, changing the shape of Venus’s orbit. To understand how the planets’ orbits affected one another, the scientists created a computer model of the solar system. The scientists also considered the measurement of how close to a perfect circle each planet's orbit is. According to the scientists, Venus has the most circular orbit out of all the planets. However, one billion years ago, when Jupiter was still closer to the sun, Venus's orbit was more oval in shape. This means that Venus may have had a much lower temperature that could have made it inhabitable. The scientists further explained that as Jupiter migrated to its current position, it pushed Venus closer to the sun, resulting in a drastic change in its atmosphere and climate. According to the scientists, studying the history of Venus is important because its size, composition, and density are similar to Earth’s. They said that understanding how Venus became an uninhabitable planet may help humans prevent the same thing from happening to Earth.