Lightning On Venus

The European Space Agency launched its Venus Express probe in 2005, and that probe is beginning to develop some interesting informatiom about the planet nearest to Earth not only in distance, but in terms of size, mass, and chemical composition, as well.

Venus Express has found the first evidence of lightning on Venus. Scientist had believed the Venusian atmosphere would not produce lightning, but the probe detected radio noise in the atmosphere that on Earth is associated with lightning strikes.

The probe also has found evidence that early Venus had oceans of water similar to Earth's. Scientists are looking at a theory that ties Venus' loss of all that water to its lack of a magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field blocks powerful radiation from reaching the surface. On Venus that radiation, possibly, broke water into its lighter components of hydrogen and oxygen, which then escaped into space.