A new study suggests that Venus may once have had a rocky moon that it later swallowed, according to Phys.org. The research examines how Earth's so-called twin planet could have absorbed a satellite early in its history, leaving it without a moon today.
Phys.org reports that the work focuses on how a slow rotation rate could have played a role in the moon's fate. The BBC, covering the same research, framed the question as whether Venus "swallowed" its own moon. Universe Today, in its own report, described any ancient Venusian moon as doomed.
The coverage was picked up by several outlets, including NewsNation and UA.NEWS. UA.NEWS reported that Venus may have swallowed a moon due to its slow rotation, echoing the mechanism highlighted in the Phys.org account.
The reports do not provide full details of the study's methods or findings beyond the central claim. What the coverage establishes is the hypothesis: that a rocky satellite orbiting Venus could have been drawn in and consumed rather than surviving to the present day. That would help explain why Venus, roughly Earth's size and often called its twin, has no moon while Earth has one.
The question of how Venus lost any moon it may have had remains the focus of the research. Further details from the study, and any follow-up work testing the idea, are what to watch next.
