There are signs of life on Venus. About 30 to 40 miles above the surface, the planet’s clouds have indications of life, according to scientists on Monday.
Venus is the closest planet to Earth and the second planet from the sun. Both planets have a similar structure but Venus is slightly smaller than Earth.
For many years, scientists believed that Venus could not support life. It is covered by a thick, toxic atmosphere that traps-in heat and creates a scorching uninhabitable surface. Temperatures have been measured at 880 degrees Fahrenheit (471 degrees Celsius). That’s hot enough to melt metal.
A team of researchers discovers phosphine gas on Venus
An international team of 19 scientists published their study, “Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus” in the Nature Astronomy journal.
The scientific team first spotted the phosphine using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. They confirmed their findings using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope in Chile. These telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope allows scientists to discern minute details.
