Phosphine is a substance that can serve as an indicator of the presence of biological processes. And new data shows whether it’s on Venus.
Venus is still a very uninhabitable world, which is thought to be very similar to Earth. True, according to scientists, the conditions on this rocky planet are not at all suitable for the development of life. Still, 2 years ago, scientists announced that there was phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus. Large quantities of this substance may indicate the presence of living organisms. SciTechDaily writes that scientists now have a new answer to the question of whether there is life on Venus using data from the Stratospheric Infrared Astronomical Observatory (SOFIA).
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The SOFIA observatory is a conventional Boeing aircraft flying high in the atmosphere, containing various scientific equipment for space observation. This observatory ceased operations at the end of September 2022 and was a joint project between NASA and the German Air and Space Center (DLR).
It was with the help of a telescope mounted on the plane that scientists observed Venus to look for phosphines in its atmosphere. The telescope was specifically looking for signs of this substance at an altitude of 75 to 110 km from the planet’s surface.
As previously written in 2020 FocusThe fact that there is phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus was first explained by scientists. Phosphine is a gas that can be found in the Earth’s atmosphere. And the presence of phosphine can be a sign of the presence of life, because on our planet it is formed as a result of decomposition of organic matter in swamps. Phofin has already been found on Jupiter and Saturn, but there it is certain that this gas was created by other processes.
“Phosphine is a relatively simple chemical compound. It’s a phosphorus atom with three hydrogen atoms. So it can form pretty easily. But on Venus? We used the SOFIA telescope to answer that question,” says Martin Kordiner of NASA Goddard. Space Flight Center.
The results of the study showed that although it could theoretically appear there as a result of volcanic activity and not biological processes, there is actually no phosphine on Venus. However, as some previous studies have shown, it’s still not there.
According to Kordiner, even assuming there is still some phosphine on Venus, there would be a maximum of 0.8 parts phosphine per billion parts of everything else in the planet’s atmosphere.
Focus He has already written about another study suggesting that phosphine is still present on Venus, although its appearance is precisely associated with volcanic activity.
Moreover Focus He wrote that scientists say that the first discovery of phosphine on Venus was due to the mixing of this gas with another very poisonous substance.
As already written FocusScientists have found the answer to the question of why Venus is Earth’s “sinister” twin.
Source: Focus
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