NEW EVIDENCE OF PHOSPHINEI CLOUD OF VENUS

 

Latest Context

Before using the James Clark Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) at Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii, Scientists found phosphine at a very deep level in the atmosphere of Venus.

Background: In 2020, scientists found the presence of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus whose discovery caused much debate and excitement about the presence of life on Venus because phosphine is a molecule connected with biological activity on Earth.

Life on Venus: On Earth, Phosphine is produced as a result of being synthesized by bacteria thriving in environments having extremely low levels of oxygen. According to scientists, though the detection of phosphine may potentially act as a biosignature, but it could also be attributed to other mechanisms which are not completely comprehended currently.

• As per the prevalent perspective, introducing phosphorus-containing rocks into the upper atmosphere, subjecting them to erosion through processes involving water, acid, and other factors, resulting in the formation of phosphine gas.

Phosphine (PH3)

• It is a phosphorus atom consisting of three hydrogen atoms and is highly toxic to people.
• Phosphine can only be made by life whether human or microbe on rocky planets such as Venus and Earth.
• Naturally, it is made by some species of anaerobic bacteria, organisms that live in the oxygen-starved environments of marshlands, landfills, and even animal guts.
• Earth bacteria intake phosphate from minerals or biological material and add hydrogen for producing phosphine.
• It is also produced non-biologically in certain industrial settings.
• It was used as a chemical weapon during World War I.
• It is still manufactured as an agricultural fumigant which is used in the semiconductor industry and is a by-product of meth labs.

Key Facts About Venus  

• It is the closest planet to Earth. Due to this feature, it is also known as Earth's twin.  
• By structure it is similar to Earth but slightly smaller than Earth. It is the second planet from the Sun.
• It is wrapped in a thick and toxic atmosphere that contains high heat.
• Surface temperatures of Venus reach a scorching 880 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt lead. It is the hottest planet in the solar system.
• It is highly dense, with 65 miles of cloud and haze, putting atmospheric pressure more than 90 times what’s felt on Earth’s surface.
• Its atmosphere is primarily suffocating carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds.

 

 

 

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