A team of scientists has gathered new evidence suggesting the presence of phosphine in the venus’s atmosphere, a gas that on Earth is often associated with biological processes.
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The Planet is known for its extreme environment with surface temperatures reaching about 450°C (842°F) hot enough to melt lead.
The planet’s atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid.
The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 90 times that of Earth’s surface, which contributes to its crushing environment.
Approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the surface, the temperature and pressure conditions become more temperate and suitable for life.
Phosphine is a colorless, flammable and toxic gas with a distinct odor. On Earth, phosphine is associated with biological processes being produced by anaerobic microorganisms in environments like swamps and the intestines of animals.
In September 2020, a team led by Dr. Jane Greaves from Cardiff University announced the detection of phosphine in the clouds of Venus.
This discovery generated interest and controversy, as phosphine is considered a potential biosignature gas on rocky planets like Venus.
Phosphine is regarded as a potential biosignature because on Earth it is mainly produced by biological processes.
While it can be produced through other means such as volcanic activity, these processes are typically inefficient in producing huge amounts of the gas on rocky planets.
The planet is often referred to as Earth’s evil twin because of its similar size and composition. The planet has extreme surface temperatures that can melt lead and a dense atmosphere filled with clouds of corrosive sulfuric acid.
The planet’s thick clouds and environment have challenges for scientists trying to understand its atmospheric processes.
Four years ago, researchers first detected phosphine in the clouds of Venus. Subsequent observations initially failed to confirm these findings leading to debates about the presence and origins of the gas.
Observations by the team from Imperial College London have reinforced the initial findings of phosphine in the planet’s atmosphere.
Dave Clements, a reader in astrophysics at the college explained that the team has collected more data than during their original detection.
In just one observation campaign they gathered 140 times the data strengthening the evidence for phosphine presence.
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The team utilized a new receiver installed on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, which contributed to more reliable data collection.
Observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) also provided valuable insights ruling out potential contamination from sulfur dioxide which was initially thought to mimic phosphine signals.
The researchers found that phosphine detections were more likely when observing Venus’s atmosphere transitioning from night into day.
Rakesh Mogul and his team from California State Polytechnic University reanalyzed data from NASA’s Pioneer Venus Large Probe which entered the planet’s atmosphere in 1978.
Observations using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii planned to resolve the phosphine controversy.
Dr. Dave Clements from Imperial College London reported tracking the phosphine signature over time strengthening the evidence for its presence in Venus’s atmosphere.
The JCMT observations revealed that phosphine detection on the planet appears to follow the planet’s day-night cycle suggesting that sunlight may destroy the gas.
Scientists caution that the presence of phosphine does not conclusively indicate life on Venus. It could result from unknown atmospheric chemistry or geological processes not yet understood.
One possibility is that Venus may have once had a more hospitable environment with a warm, wet climate conducive to life.
As the planet underwent drastic changes life could have adapted to survive in the clouds, where conditions remain more Earth-like.
The notion that microbial life could exist in planet’s clouds is not entirely far-fetched. At altitudes of around 50 kilometers, the temperature and pressure are more moderate allowing extremophiles microorganisms adapted to harsh conditions.
Researchers address the need for investigations and the use of different observational methods to confirm these findings.
Upcoming missions like NASA’s DAVINCI mission and ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer could provide data for understanding Venus’s atmosphere.
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