Signs of alien life found on Venus?

Scientists have detected a rare molecule in the atmosphere of Venus that could be produced by living organisms


Phosphine gas detected in upper reaches of cloud deck, up to 50km above surface

On Earth, phosphine is produced by microbes living in guts of animals or in oxygen-poor environments

Left: Magellan radar map of Venus (© NASA/ JPL-Caltech)

Right: False-colour image of Venus cloud tops (© PLANET-C Project Team)

Phosphine (PH3)
Molecule made up of one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms

Around 90% of Venusian clouds composed of sulphuric acid – catastrophic for microbes on Earth

High clouds with mild temperatures of around 30°C could potentially harbour aerial microbes able to endure extreme acidity

GREENHOUSE EFFECT: Thick atmosphere traps in heat, rendering Venus solar system’s hottest planet. Surface temperatures reach 471°C, hot enough to melt lead

SIZE: Around 12,104km in diameter, slightly smaller than Earth (12,756km)

DISTANCE: Second planet from sun and closest planetary neighbour to Earth

Distance from Sun
1. Mercury 	57m km
2. Venus 	108m km
3. Earth	149m km

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ROTATION: Venus spins from east to west, opposite direction from all other planets
in solar system except Uranus

DAY LENGTH: Longest of any planet in solar system, taking 243 Earth days to complete rotation

GEOLOGY: 37 volcanoes identified – some probably still active

VENUS: Named after ancient Roman
goddess of love and beauty

Sources: Nature Astronomy, NASA, ESA, Canadian Space Agency, BBC, Reuters
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