Nathan J. McGregor

I use computer models to simulate how hot and cold rock moves inside Venus’s mantle and how that affects its orientation over time. As material inside the planet redistributes, it moves Venus’s “balance point,” which can cause the entire planet to slowly reorient. I estimate how fast this happens and whether VERITAS, an upcoming mission to Venus, could detect it.

I use computer models to study how hot and cold rock moves inside Venus’s mantle and how this motion affects the planet’s orientation over time. As material circulates inside the planet, it redistributes mass and shifts Venus’s “balance point,” which can cause the entire planet to slowly reorient. This process is called true polar wander. My models suggest Venus may change its orientation by about 1–4° per million years, adding up to large shifts over time. I also test whether these changes are large enough to be detected by VERITAS, an upcoming mission to Venus planned for launch in June 2031. I find that the signals are extremely small—too subtle for VERITAS to detect.