The possibility of a giant impact on Venus
Fuente:
arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866915554409840640 |
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| author | Bussmann, Mirco Reinhardt, Christian Gillmann, Cedric Meier, Thomas Stadel, Joachim Tackley, Paul Helled, Ravit |
| author_facet | Bussmann, Mirco Reinhardt, Christian Gillmann, Cedric Meier, Thomas Stadel, Joachim Tackley, Paul Helled, Ravit |
| contents | Giant impacts were common in the early evolution of the Solar System, and it is possible that Venus also experienced an impact. A giant impact on Venus could have affected its rotation rate and possibly its thermal evolution. In this work, we explore a range of possible impacts using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). We consider the final major collision, assuming that differentiation already occurred and that Venus consists of an iron core (30% of Venus' mass) and a forsterite mantle (70% of Venus' mass). We use differentiated impactors with masses ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 Earth masses, impact velocities between 10 and 15 km/s, various impact geometries (head-on and oblique), different primordial thermal profiles, and a range of pre-impact rotation rates of Venus. We analyse the post-impact rotation periods and debris disc masses to identify scenarios that can reproduce Venus' present-day characteristics. Our findings show that a wide range of impact scenarios are consistent with Venus' current rotation. These include head-on collisions on a non-rotating Venus and oblique, hit-and-run impacts by Mars-sized bodies on a rotating Venus. Importantly, collisions that match Venus' present-day rotation rate typically produce minimal debris discs residing within Venus' synchronous orbit. This suggests that the material would likely reaccrete onto the planet, preventing the formation of long-lasting satellites - consistent with Venus' lack of a moon. We conclude that a giant impact can be consistent with both Venus' unusual rotation and lack of a moon, potentially setting the stage for its subsequent thermal evolution. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_03239 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The possibility of a giant impact on Venus Bussmann, Mirco Reinhardt, Christian Gillmann, Cedric Meier, Thomas Stadel, Joachim Tackley, Paul Helled, Ravit Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Giant impacts were common in the early evolution of the Solar System, and it is possible that Venus also experienced an impact. A giant impact on Venus could have affected its rotation rate and possibly its thermal evolution. In this work, we explore a range of possible impacts using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). We consider the final major collision, assuming that differentiation already occurred and that Venus consists of an iron core (30% of Venus' mass) and a forsterite mantle (70% of Venus' mass). We use differentiated impactors with masses ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 Earth masses, impact velocities between 10 and 15 km/s, various impact geometries (head-on and oblique), different primordial thermal profiles, and a range of pre-impact rotation rates of Venus. We analyse the post-impact rotation periods and debris disc masses to identify scenarios that can reproduce Venus' present-day characteristics. Our findings show that a wide range of impact scenarios are consistent with Venus' current rotation. These include head-on collisions on a non-rotating Venus and oblique, hit-and-run impacts by Mars-sized bodies on a rotating Venus. Importantly, collisions that match Venus' present-day rotation rate typically produce minimal debris discs residing within Venus' synchronous orbit. This suggests that the material would likely reaccrete onto the planet, preventing the formation of long-lasting satellites - consistent with Venus' lack of a moon. We conclude that a giant impact can be consistent with both Venus' unusual rotation and lack of a moon, potentially setting the stage for its subsequent thermal evolution. |
| title | The possibility of a giant impact on Venus |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.03239 |