Active Volcano Found on Venus

Scientists have found evidence of a physical structure on Venus that is changing shape, expanding, and appearing to be overflowing with molten rock.

Venus’s unclear atmosphere hides the surface of the planet from observatories on Earth.

Maat Mons, a volcano on Venus that has shown signs of a recent eruption, is in the black square near the planet’s equator in this annotated, computer-simulated global map of Venus’ surface. Credit NASA

Scientists discovered direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity on Venus by poring over archival radar images taken over 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. The images revealed a volcanic vent changing shape and increasing significantly in size in less than a year.