Phosphine on Venus

Scientists have just confirmed the existence of phosphine gas in the upper atmosphere of Venus, but what does this tell us? And how can we know this?

First things first: we didn’t confirm life on Venus. What we know is only that phosphine gas has been detected, and the only known sources of phosphine gas so far are by industrial processes on Earth, and as a byproduct of biological processes. Scientists still have their work ahead of them, but this is certainly an intriguing area of study for the future, whether or not it turns out to be associated with life elsewhere in the Solar System. 

Beyond Venus, scientists are actively studying some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn for potential life, as the warm moons and submerged lakes may provide an environment suitable for life to evolve. Read more here:

The Top 10 Places Life may be Hiding in the Solar System

Our solar system is home to eight planets, several dwarf planets, and hundreds of moons. But, so far, we only know of one world that is friendly to life - Earth. As we explore our family of planets, astronomers are finding oceans, organic materials, and worlds brimming with energy.

How exactly do we know for sure that phosphine gas was detected? Scientists use several methods to determine the composition of gases and surfaces of other worlds, but one of the most common, insightful and practical methods of inspection is called spectrography, in which a sample of light is analyzed for missing wavelengths that are known to be absorbed by particular elements. This method allows us to detect spectral signatures of distant stars and planets closer to home, and has many everyday applications here on Earth.

To see learn more about this technique, check out this article:

Life on Venus? Traces of phosphine may be a sign of biological activity

The discovery that the atmosphere of Venus absorbs a precise frequency of microwave radiation has just turned planetary science on its head. An international team of scientists used radio telescopes in Hawaii and Chile to find signs that the clouds on Earth's neighbouring planet contain tiny quantities of a molecule called phosphine.

Here is the full paper discussing the new discoveries on Venus:

Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus

The detection of ~20 ppb of phosphine in Venus clouds by observations in the millimetre-wavelength range from JCMT and ALMA is puzzling, because according to our knowledge of Venus, no phosphine should be there. As the most plausible formation paths do not work, the source could be unknown chemical processes-maybe even life?

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