The discovery of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Space
In news
Recently, phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus was discovered by an international team of astronomers.
The discovery throws light about the possibility of the presence of life forms on Venus.
Key takeaways
A team of scientists have reported traces of phosphine in a concentration of approximately 20 parts per billion, thousands to millions of times more than what could otherwise be expected.
The discovery is more significant than the discovery of water on the Moon or Mars.
The finding can further ignite interest in space missions to Venus.
There are several things that make life unsustainable on Venus.
The temperature of Venus is too high.
Its atmosphere is highly acidic.
However, Scientists also suggest that this phosphine could be remnants from a time when Venus was a much more hospitable place.
Apart from being produced in industrial processes, phosphine, a colourless but smelly gas, is known to be made only by some species of bacteria that survive in the absence of oxygen.
