The continuing mystery of Venus about phosphine and ammonia

Venus is a mystery in many ways. It is a sister planet to Earth and is relatively accessible to our instruments and probes, yet we know very little about what is happening on its surface or even inside its thick atmosphere. Much of this is, of course, because planets like Mars get all the probes and rovers that orbit their barren, radiation-filled surface, but we do have atmospheric probes that descend through Venus’ atmosphere, but so far they have been useless. In 2020, speculation arose about the detection of phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere, which has caused a lot of skepticism. Regardless, at the recent National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2024), the current state of knowledge about Venus was presented. Discussedwhich even got picked up by The Guardian. To report it.

In addition to phosphine, there is speculation that ammonia could also be detected from Earth, both of which could indicate organic processes and thus possible life. Related research has suggested that common amino acids essential for life on Earth would be stable even in sulfurous droplets such as the atmosphere of Venus. Following criticism of the original 2020 phosphine article, [Jane S. Greaves] And others. Repeat their comments. Based on the reactions, though, it is clear that the observation of phosphine gas on Venus is not a simple binary matter.

The same applies to ammonia, which If present In the clouds of Venus there will be a tremendous discovery, which According to research by [William Bains] And colleagues in National Academy of Sciences Many of the strange observations in the Venusian atmosphere may be explainable. With so much uncertainty in remote observations, it is clear that the only way to answer these questions is through future Venus missions, which unfortunately remain rather rare.

If there is indeed life on Venus, it will take a longer time to evolve before we can go and check it out.