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Radar detects fresh lava flows on Venus, indicating planet may be “far more volcanically active” than thought
Radar images of the surface of Venus appear to show fresh lava flows, suggesting active volcanoes on the planet.
Scientists from Italy’s International Research School of Planetary Sciences wrote in an article published Monday that they spotted evidence of changes to the planet’s surface. They compared images of the area taken from 1990 to 1992 taken by the Magellan spacecraft, the first such craft to photograph the entire surface of Venus, to current conditions.
The scientists determined that new rock had formed along set paths. That rock formation can be “most reasonably explained as evidence of new lava flows” in two areas: the western side of the volcano Sif Mons and in the large volcanic lowlands of Niobe Planitia.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
“Using these maps as a guide, our results show that Venus may be far more volcanically active than previously thought,” said Davide Sulcanese, who led the study, in a news release from NASA. “By analyzing the lava flows we observed in two locations on the planet, we have discovered that the volcanic activity on Venus could be comparable to that on Earth.”
The discoveries back a study published in 2023 that showed the planet is volcanic. That study again used images from the Magellan spacecraft to look for evidence of volcanoes. Researchers from the University of Alaska and the California Institute of Technology found two large volcanoes in the planet’s highlands, and confirmed the site of the volcanic vents, where they would erupt.
“Ozza and Maat Mons are comparable in volume to Earth’s largest volcanoes but have lower slopes and thus are more spread out,” University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute research professor Robert Herrick said in a news release announcing the study’s findings.
JAXA
Researchers have long believed that Venus, a planet NASA says is “sometimes called Earth’s evil twin,” has active volcanoes. Venus has a thick atmosphere that traps heat, making it the hottest planet in the solar system, and the surface includes volcanoes and deformed mountains.
Researchers believe the volcanoes on Venus are less active than those on the Jupiter moon Io, which CBS News previously reported has “multiple ongoing eruptions” in all images captured by researchers.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.