By Will Dunham
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery about our neighboring planet Venus. While Earth’s atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen, Venus’ atmosphere is almost entirely made up of carbon dioxide. However, using an instrument aboard the SOFIA airborne observatory, atomic oxygen has been detected in a thin layer of the Venusian atmosphere, marking the first direct detection of oxygen on the planet. This discovery is a significant step forward in our understanding of Venus and its atmosphere.
The team of scientists, including researchers from NASA and the German Aerospace Center, observed that the atomic oxygen detected on Venus differs from the molecular oxygen present on Earth. The researchers believe that the oxygen is produced on the planet’s day side by ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
While Earth comfortably resides in the “habitable zone” around the sun, Venus poses a stark contrast due to its dense atmosphere and extreme temperatures. According to lead author of the study, physicist Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers, “Venus is not hospitable, at least for organisms we know from Earth.” This finding raises new questions about the evolution of Venus and its stark differences from Earth.
The researchers behind the study are excited about the direct proof of photochemistry and product transport in the Venusian atmosphere. “The Venus atmosphere is very dense. The composition is also very different from Earth,” said Hübers. “We are still at the beginning of understanding the evolution of Venus and why it is so different from Earth.”
With this groundbreaking discovery, we venture one step closer to unraveling the mysteries of our neighboring planet and its enigmatic atmosphere.
(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
