{
  "abstract": "Venus possesses no natural satellite, raising the question of whether a formed moon could have survived. We explore the tidal evolution of a Venus-moon system, coupling Venus’s spin to the satellite’s orbit under tides from the moon and Sun. We survey spin period ( P 0 = 5–100 hr), moon mass ( M m = 0.01–10 M Moon ), eccentricity, quality factor, and initial semimajor axis under both constant- Q and constant time lag models. Survival depends on competition between outward migration (∝ M m ) and synchronous radius expansion ( ∝ M m 2 ): for circular orbits around a rapidly spinning Venus ( P 0 ≲ 12 hr), a lunar-mass satellite survives the age of the solar system in both models. For P 0 ≲ 10 hr, eccentricity pumping can destabilize low-mass satellites, while for P 0 ≳ 15 hr or M m ≳ 2 M Moon , the synchronous radius overtakes the orbit and drives Roche destruction within ∼0.03–1.7 Gyr in the constant- Q model. The constant time lag model instead permits quasi-synchronous survival for massive moons at fast spin. Explaining Venus’s present state requires satisfying two constraints simultaneously: loss of the satellite and despinning of an initially rapid rotator. Both are met only within a restricted region of parameter space, favoring moderate postimpact spin periods and lunar-to-super-lunar masses. Giant impact simulations predict spin periods ≳12 hr for Venus’s present rotation, placing a lunar-mass satellite at the survival boundary. For last-impact conditions within this region, the present absence of a Venusian satellite arises through tidal evolution alone; a subsequent catastrophic stripping event, while capable of removing a moon, is not required.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2608.25036",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Stephen Kane"
    },
    {
      "name": "Franck Selsis"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jérémy Leconte"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sean N. Raymond"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5rjswmrjabk54.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/ae9d6c",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "5rjswmrjabk54",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760817v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.EP"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "0.phys"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.phys.astr"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astro and Planetary Science"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204446651",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760817/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-14",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5rjswmrjabk54.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05760817",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760817v1"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:19Z",
      "native_id": "2608.25036",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.25036"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.EP",
      "subfield": "planetary"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "hal:0.phys",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Tidal Demise: The Evolution and Fate of a Hypothetical Venus Moon",
  "title_text": "Tidal Demise: The Evolution and Fate of a Hypothetical Venus Moon",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:19Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5rjswmrjabk54",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}