Top 7 secrets about the Solar System still unanswered

Unsolved mysteries about the Solar System

In this illustration posted on the Vox site, there are several rings of dust surrounding the Sun. These dust rings form when the gravity of the planets pulls dust particles into orbit around the Sun. The image shows Earth (Earth), Venus (Venus), Mercury, and the Sun (Sun). (Photo: VOX/NASA).

The tough questions about the Solar System will one day help us realize why humans exist, how long we will be around. According to Vox, here are 7 mysteries about the System. The sun that science cannot answer.

1. What force "killed" Venus?

The surface of Venus is covered by a thick layer of clouds. (Photo: NASA).

Venus is nicknamed "Hell" because it is the hottest planet in the Solar System, with a surface temperature of nearly 500 degrees Celsius, and a surface pressure 92 times greater than the pressure on Earth (at sea ​​level).

Scientists suspect that Venus was once like Earth today: surrounded by a sea of ​​water that nurtured life on the planet. This raises big questions about the appearance of life on Earth when these two planets both formed at the same time and with the same material.

What causes Venus to become "Hell"? The two main theories are that the Sun "baked" Venus, or that the volcanoes did it.

2. What is the true origin of the Moon?

Clavius ​​volcano on the Moon.

The formation of the Moon was once thought to resemble the formation of other planets: debris from the formation of the Sun gathered and formed the Moon. However, when the Apollo astronauts brought samples of the Moon's surface back to Earth and analyzed, the story was completely different.

Geologists have realized that the Moon is covered with a special rock called anorthosite. They are sparkling, brightly colored and highly reflective stones, thanks to which the Moon shines in the night sky.

It is thought that this rock can only be made of magma (also known as molten rock). It also means that the Moon may have been subjected to such a large amount of heat that it almost melted.

Scientists are still not sure, but the theories put forward all have the prospect of being filled with red flames.

3. Does life exist in human waste on the Moon?

The astronaut's waste bag was left behind on the Moon in 1969. 44

When the Apollo astronauts completed the mission, in order to reduce mass for the return flight from the Moon, they had to dispose of the waste again. Throughout the Apollo missions, astronauts dropped 96 bags of human waste on the Moon, and this raises an interesting question in the field of astrobiology.

Human waste, specifically human feces, is full of live microorganisms. Will they be able to live on the Moon, where environmental conditions are harsh? And if they do live on the Moon, can they survive interstellar space travel?

If the answer is yes, could life be spread from planet to planet, lurking in asteroids or other celestial bodies?

4. Are there other advanced civilizations on Earth?

Simulation of the supercontinent Gondwana formed about 550 million years ago and began to separate about 180 million years ago

While other scientists are always looking for advanced civilizations in the depths of the universe, climatologist Gavin Schmidt and astrophysicist Adam Frank ask another question: Is there a background? another advanced civilization in Earth's history and is now buried deep in the Earth's crust?

These questions aren't necessarily mysteries of the Solar System, but they could answer other questions in the exploration of the universe: An intelligent life form on any given planet could leave behind What is the trace of its existence?

5. Is it possible to "drive" an asteroid to avoid hitting Earth?

Simulation of the DART lander approaching Dimorphos.

Natural disasters (volcanoes, earthquakes, storms, floods.) are an inevitable part of life on Earth. However, there is one kind of disaster that we can probably avoid: the impact of an asteroid, or a meteorite, on Earth.

The problem is that we've never tried to deflect any asteroids and it's not clear if that's possible.

Last year, NASA launched the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission. They launched a space probe as big as a car. DART's mission to crash into the 60-meter-diameter Dimorphos asteroid at 24,000 km/h helps us answer the question: Can we cause an asteroid to deviate from its original orbit ?

6. Did Mars ever have life?

There is much evidence that liquid water was once present on the surface of Mars.

Mars today is seen as a desert completely devoid of any signs of life. But over the years, scientists have discovered evidence of a Mars that may have once resembled Earth.

"Mars is a very different place now than it was 4 billion years ago, but you can still see evidence of what it was like," said astrophysicist Lindsay Hays. "You can see things like the remains of a large river delta. It shows that it's not just water, it's a lot of water that's been flowing over a long period of time that makes them start to deposit sediment."

Where there is water, there is life. In 2021, a probe rover has been successfully launched to Mars, and this is the best opportunity to help us answer the question: "Was there ever life on Mars?". If the answer is yes, it could completely change the way we understand the existence of life in the universe.

7. Is there a 9th planet in the Solar System?

Pluto is no longer the 9th planet in the Solar System.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted to change the definition of a planet and thus make Pluto no longer fit as a planet in the Solar System. Since then, the Solar System has only 8 official planets left.

But then, there were many clues that there was a giant planet lurking beyond Neptune and waiting to be found. Astronomers are still searching for the planet, and they continue to question its existence: Do objects farther outside the Solar System seem to be affected by their own gravity?

Will these clues lead us to a real 9th ​​planet? It may be, but finding that will certainly not be easy.