There might be other prospective ways to form phosphine on a rocky world, like through lightning or volcanic activity, however none of these use if there merely isnt any phosphine on Venus. And according to SOFIA, there isnt.
Following the 2020 research study, a variety of different telescopes carried out follow-up observations to validate or refute the finding. Cordiner and his group did the same, using SOFIA in their search.
An Armstrong F/A -18 flying safety and image chase for NASAs SOFIA 747. SOFIA accomplished full functional capability in 2014 and concluded its last science flight on September 29, 2022. Credit: NASA/ Jim Ross
The just recently retired SOFIA was a telescope on a plane and, throughout three flights in November 2021, it searched for tips of phosphine in Venuss sky. Thanks to its operation from Earths sky, SOFIA could carry out observations not accessible from ground-based observatories. Its high spectral resolution likewise allowed it to be conscious phosphine at high altitudes in Venuss atmosphere, about 45 to 70 miles (about 75 to 110 kilometers) above the ground– the exact same region as the original finding– with spatial coverage across Venuss entire disk.
No indication of phosphine was discovered by the researchers. According to their outcomes, if there is any phosphine present in Venuss environment at all, its a maximum of about 0.8 parts phosphine per billion parts of whatever else, which is much smaller sized than the preliminary estimate.
Pointing SOFIAs telescope at Venus was an obstacle in and of itself. Venus also goes through phases comparable to the Moon, making it challenging to focus the telescope on the world.
” You do not want sunshine accidentally coming in and shining on your delicate telescope instruments,” Cordiner said. “The Sun is the last thing you want in the sky when youre doing these kinds of sensitive observations.”
Despite the truth the group did not find phosphine after the stressful observations, the research study was a success. Along with complementary information from other observatories that differ in the depths they probe within Venuss environment, the SOFIA results aid develop the body of evidence against phosphine throughout Venuss environment, from its equator to its poles.
SOFIA was a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR. NASAs Ames Research Center in Californias Silicon Valley handled the SOFIA mission, science, and program operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart.
The spectral data from SOFIA overlain atop this image of Venus from NASAs Mariner 10 spacecraft is what the researchers observed in their study, showing the intensity of light from Venus at various wavelengths. If a substantial quantity of phosphine existed in Venuss environment, there would be dips in the chart at the 4 locations labeled “PH3,” comparable to but less noticable than those seen on the two ends. Credit: Venus: NASA/JPL-Caltech; Spectra: Cordiner et al
. Venus is considered Earths twin in many methods. However, recent observations made with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have now made one distinction clearer: Unlike Earth, Venus does not have any obvious phosphine.
In 2020, the announcement of phosphine discovered above Venuss clouds made headlines due to the fact that it has strong potential as a biomarker. It is common in the environments of gas worlds like Jupiter and Saturn, phosphine on Earth is associated with biology.
” Phosphine is a reasonably basic chemical substance– its simply a phosphorus atom with three hydrogens– so you would believe that would be fairly easy to produce. On Venus, its not obvious how it could be made,” stated Martin Cordiner, a researcher in astrochemistry and planetary science at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The spectral information from SOFIA overlain atop this image of Venus from NASAs Mariner 10 spacecraft is what the scientists observed in their study, revealing the strength of light from Venus at various wavelengths. If a considerable amount of phosphine were present in Venuss atmosphere, there would be dips in the graph at the 4 locations identified “PH3,” similar to however less noticable than those seen on the two ends. Current observations made with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have actually now made one distinction clearer: Unlike Earth, Venus does not have any obvious phosphine.
The recently retired SOFIA was a telescope on a plane and, over the course of three flights in November 2021, it looked for hints of phosphine in Venuss sky. Its high spectral resolution also allowed it to be delicate to phosphine at high altitudes in Venuss environment, about 45 to 70 miles (about 75 to 110 kilometers) above the ground– the same region as the original finding– with spatial protection throughout Venuss whole disk.