Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Nature Communications reexamines 1990–1992 radar images from NASA’s Magellan orbiter.
- Scientists from the University of Trento report skylight-style collapse features in the Nyx Mons region consistent with a subsurface lava tube.
- The inferred tunnel is estimated at roughly 1 kilometer in diameter with a roof at least 150 meters thick and an interior height near 375 meters.
- Radar signatures indicate the detectable cavity continues at least 300 meters below the surface, with additional collapses suggesting possible channels extending about 45 kilometers, a hypothesis still unverified.
- Venus’s extreme heat and pressure preclude optical imaging, making radar the principal tool until future missions can map and confirm any subsurface channels.