Astronomers have recently identified a possible sign of life in the Venus atmosphere. Two telescopes have spotted the chemical signature of phosphine in the thick Venutian clouds in Hawaii and Chile. This has provided a hint that the sulfuric acid-laden clouds of Venus could contain bizarre microbes.

 

♦ The researchers first observed the phosphin using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. They then used the Chilean Atacama Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Array (ALMA).

♦ Both the establishments detected Venus at a high altitude at a wavelength of around 1 millimetre.

♦ High clouds on Venus could give a habitat for microbes has been speculated.

♦ This extra-terrestrial aerial life may be pointed to by the identification of phosphine molecules consisting of hydrogen and phosphorus.

 

Phosphine can only be present in rocky planets such as Earth and Venus. Just like human or microbe, this gas can be rendered by life. Can also manufacture phosphine.