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An American-British-Japanese research team has announced a sensational discovery: a compound has been discovered in the atmosphere of the planet Venus that could suggest the possibility of life. The research team used the Chilean ALMA radio telescope and the Hawaiian JMCT to study the planet’s atmosphere and found unusual amounts of phosphine.
What is phosphine?
This inorganic compound, officially known as hydrogen-phosphorus, is also well known on Earth. Its extremely simple structure is like that of ammonia: at the vertices of a pyramid with a triangular base there are 3 hydrogen atoms and one phosphorus atom. It is extremely toxic, which is why it is used to kill pests, for example. However, in nature, this compound is produced by microbes that live happily even in an oxygen-free environment.
The discovery surprised the researchers, checking their measurements multiple times, but confirming the discovery in all cases. Although phosphine is found in low concentrations in the planet’s clouds, this amount is orders of magnitude higher than would be expected on the planet.
Photo: That / NASA
The researchers first checked how much phosphine could form on the planet under natural conditions. The compound is also produced as a result of simple physical processes, produced by lightning or volcanic activity under appropriate conditions, but it can even be formed by sunlight. Phosphine has also been found in the atmospheres of the gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, but its discovery there can be well explained by chemical reactions. But it is estimated that these processes can only explain ten thousandths of the amount found on Venus.
The beginning of a long journey
The researchers were very reluctant to comment on their discovery. It is by no means considered evidence of life, but the phenomenon definitely deserves a thorough investigation. This is only the first stage of a long research work.
The situation is similar to the 2003 Martian discovery. Methane was then detected in the red planet’s atmosphere, which may even suggest the presence of life. Since then, the atmosphere of Mars has been continuously investigated, but so far it has not been refuted or confirmed. For the past twenty years, researchers have constantly tried to determine whether methane is in the atmosphere of Mars. Last year, the European Space Agency’s Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft did not detect the gas, but a few months later, NASA announced that
that the Curiosity Martian discovered methane in the atmosphere.
The researchers first hope that independent experts will also confirm their measurements. The presence of phosphine in the Venus circle is extremely small, with only twenty phosphine molecules out of one billion molecules. But this value is also ten thousand times higher than expected. The Martian methane was also similar in quantity to the amount of phosphine found on Venus.
What we know so far about Venus
Venus has been driving the imagination of humanity for centuries. It shines in the sky like a morning star, and after binoculars were invented, we quickly noticed the similarities. Fifty years ago, he was romantically imagined as Earth’s mysterious twin brother shrouded in clouds. Being closer to the Sun, science fiction writers dreamed of a lush jungle on its surface, full of life. Venus was thought to be a warmer, more primitive version of Earth, with tall trees and dinosaurs. It was also considered possible that it was an inhabited planet.
However, Venus is a very strange place. It is the only planet that rotates around its axis in reverse. On Venus, the Sun rises in the west and rests in the east. But even stranger is how slow it spins. This is the planet where a day is longer than a year. A Venus year lasts only 225 Earth days, but a Venus day lasts 241 Earth days. You could drive faster than you would a day on Venus.
Four and a half billion years ago, Venus and Earth could have looked like twin planets. They circulate very close to each other and there is hardly any difference in their size either. For a long time, its development developed in a similar way. It is estimated that both planets received roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide. But while it was laced in layers of limestone on earth, it is in the atmosphere of Venus.
Importantly, there is now evidence that matter has been exchanged between the two planets. As a result of cosmic collisions, matter was ejected into space, which was transferred from Venus to Earth and from Earth to Venus. This is very important because if life developed on one planet, it could have reached the other planet in this way. Of course, this is no longer for Venus today. If there ever was life in it, it changed with the changing conditions there.
A popular research destination
Space races began in the 1950s. After the Soviets lagged behind in the fight for the Moon, they turned more to the planets. At that time, they still dreamed a lot about Venus and Mars that creatures like us could live there. Venus was thought to be more easily accessible, so the Soviets focused on this planet. Satellite reconnaissance of Venus began in the early 1960s, but it was very difficult for the planet to reveal its secrets.
Although it is easier to get there, but it is very difficult to land. The Venyera probes sank into the clouds in a row and soon went offline. In their latest posts, they reported staggeringly high temperatures and pressures. In 1970, Venyera-7 finally managed to land on the surface, but it sent the data back in just 23 minutes. I had to wait until the first photo until 1975.
The data and photos revealed the true face of Venus. It is not a sister planet, but it could not be further from it. The photographs showed a dusty and stony surface. According to the instruments, the surface temperature is 460 degrees Celsius and the atmospheric pressure is 92 times that of Earth. The spacecraft froze or crashed in no time.
Photo: Eso / Reuters
Hell itself
Therefore, there is no possibility of life like this on Earth, but neither is exploration of Earth. The researchers wondered if an expedition would try to land, if the heat or high pressure would kill the researchers sooner. Although it would be an incredible experience to be in the gloom under the orange-red sky. But this planet is a real hell.
It is a mystery to scientists what happened to the planet. One of the most interesting facts about Venus was that it once had an ocean the size of Earth. An analysis of the atmosphere revealed that this body of water once existed and disappeared. Scientists believe that everything has evaporated and, since the planet does not have a magnetic field like Earth, the solar wind has carried away hydrogen and oxygen rather slowly.
In 1990, the Magellan spacecraft reached the planet using radar to look under the clouds. It turns out that the planet is full of volcanoes. There is one, but up to a hundred kilometers in diameter. This planet is the realm of fire, with more than 1,600 large volcanoes on it.
Scientists have observed that there are quite a few craters on the planet’s surface. This suggests that, from the point of view of earth history, the surface of the entire planet was transformed not long ago, suddenly.
Once the surface was completely unsuitable for life, scientists turned their attention to the atmosphere. Carl Sagan, the genius astronomer, also believed that the presence of life in the upper atmosphere was theoretically conceivable. At an altitude of 55 to 60 kilometers, the temperature and air pressure are similar to those on Earth. Microorganisms capable of withstanding extreme conditions can survive in this area. But let’s not forget that the clouds here are made up of sulfuric acid. Made from more concentrated acid than found in car batteries.
There is very little chance that life is present in the atmosphere of Venus. But it is definitely worth investigating, because if we succeed, we will not only come to life outside our planet for the first time, but we will also be able to survive in previously unimaginable conditions. This will be one of the greatest scientific challenges of the next decades.
(Top image: Composite image of Venus assembled from the Magellan spacecraft and the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. Photo: NASA / Reuters)
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