A team of astronomers has made a surprising discovery in Venus, the closest planet to Earth. Experts have found evidence of a rare molecule called phosphine in the high clouds of Venus, which could be an indicator of extraterrestrial life.
In accordance with Antenna 3, Phosphine is a gas normally found in Earth’s atmosphere in areas such as swamps and bogs, where it is produced from the decomposition of organic matter. However, its presence on Venus is especially surprising since it is a planet that is believed to be non-habitable.
The discovery was made possible by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii and the Alma Telescope in Chile, which observed Venus at a wavelength much longer than what the human eye can see. The astronomers compared the results obtained by both telescopes to confirm their findings.
How is the presence of phosphine explained?
While natural processes could explain the presence of phosphine in the Venusian atmosphere, experts note that further study is needed to confirm whether this is the correct explanation.
telescopes detected the phosphine in a region of the Venusian atmosphere that lies between 75 and 110 kilometers above the groundwhere the temperature and pressure are similar to those on Earth.
However, results obtained by the NASA/DLR SOFIA Airborne Observatory, which retired in September 2022, did not detect the presence of phosphine on Venus, although the researchers noted that it may be difficult to detect due to the composition of the phosphine. planet’s atmosphere.
The discovery of phosphine in the high clouds of Venus has aroused the interest of the scientific community and could open up new possibilities in the search for life on other planets. However, more studies are still needed to confirm if this gas is indeed an indicator of life on Venus.
