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Unexplained Chemical Process Detected in #Venus’s Clouds; Scientists Debate If it’s a Sign of Life - by @deekshith_np

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(Image credit: SSV, MIPL, Magellan Team, NASA)

The detection of #phosphine—a colourless, flammable gas—on the clouds of Venus, has kicked off an intense debate over the presence of life on the Earth’s sister planet.

#PhosphineOnVenus

According to the paper published in the reputed Nature Astronomy journal on Monday, #phosphine could originate from unknown photochemical or geochemical processes on Venus, or it could be a biological product from the presence of life.

#PhosphineOnVenus

On Earth, phosphine (PH3) is produced either industrially or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free conditions. Scientists do not have any other plausible explanation for the presence of this gas in Venus’s cloud other than that it is a possible sign of life.

#PhosphineOnVenus

Scientists, however, argue that the detection of phosphine in itself is not enough evidence for microbial life, and it only indicates some unknown geological or chemical process that we haven’t understood yet.

#PhosphineOnVenus

The surface conditions of the rocky planet Venus is not conducive to life as we know it. However, scientists say that the environment of its upper cloud deck—around 53–62 km above the surface—could be mild enough to support life.

#PhosphineOnVenus

Moreover, Venus’s clouds are highly acidic, and phosphine would not last long in such conditions. Therefore, if there is indeed a microbial life on Venus, it will be very different from what we see on Earth, so as to survive in hyper-acidic conditions.

#PhosphineOnVenus

An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, is credited with this path-breaking discovery.

#PhosphineOnVenus

The scientists made the discovery using the observations from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

The results of the study suggest the presence of phosphine in Venus’s clouds, but the quantity is scarce—in the range of 20 parts-per-billion. Despite a long attempt to trace the source of the gas, the researchers were unable to reach a conclusion.

They explored sunlight, micrometeorites, volcanoes, minerals, and lightning to explain the origin of phosphine, but none of these natural ways could fit the bill.

#PhosphineOnVenus

To further explore the origin of phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere, scientists suggest that more observations and modelling are the need of the hour.

#PhosphineOnVenus

Over the decade, several missions to Venus, including India’s Shukrayaan-1, have been planned by space agencies across the globe. The present discovery is likely to give a fresh impetus to exploration missions to the shiny planet.

At the moment, scientists do not have any other plausible explanation for the presence of phosphine in #Venus’s cloud, however here are some facts for you.

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#phosphine #VenusNews