Earth has had oceans for nearly four billion years and Mars had lakes and rivers 3.5-3.8 billion years ago. However, it is still unknown whether water has ever condensed on […]
Venus
Posted inVenus
Climate Model Shows That Venus Could Never Have Had Oceans
Whether Venus, one of the Solar System’s four terrestrial planets, ever had oceans remains an unsolved puzzle. Although an American study hypothesized that it did, this is now challenged in […]
Posted inVenus
Study Finds Photosynthesis in Venus' Clouds Could Support Life
New data analysis has found that the sunlight filtering through Venus’ clouds could support Earth-like photosynthesis in the cloud layers and that chemical conditions are potentially amenable to the growth […]
Posted inVenus
Early Habitability And Crustal Decarbonation Of A Stagnant-lid Venus
Little is known about the early evolution of Venus and a potential habitable period during the first one billion years. In particular, it remains unclear whether or not plate tectonics […]
Posted inVenus
Low Levels of Sulphur Dioxide Contamination of Phosphine Spectra from Venus' Atmosphere
New analysis is presented of the 1.1 mm wavelength absorption lines in Venus’ atmosphere that suggested the presence of phosphine. We confirm that ALMA detected absorption at the PH3 1-0 […]
Posted inJupiter, Venus
Life Could Exist In The Clouds Of Jupiter But Not Venus
Jupiter’s clouds have water conditions that would allow Earth-like life to exist, but this isn’t possible in Venus’ clouds, according to the groundbreaking finding of new research led by a […]
Posted inVenus
Recovery of Spectra of Phosphine in Venus' Clouds
We recover PH3 in the atmosphere of Venus in data taken with ALMA, using three different calibration methods. The whole-planet signal is recovered with 5.4{\sigma} confidence using Venus bandpass self-calibration, […]
Posted inVenus
Life On Venus? First We Need To Know More About Molecules In The Atmosphere
The search for life on other planets has received a major boost after scientists revealed the spectral signatures of almost 1000 atmospheric molecules that may be involved in the production […]
Posted inVenus
The Phosphene Controversy: Is it Phosphene? Is there life on Venus?
On 14th September 2020, the Royal Astronomical Society made an official statement coupled with a webminar on the discovery of phosphine on Venus. Single-line millimetre-waveband spectral detections of phosphine (with […]
Posted inVenus
Complications In The ALMA Detection Of Phosphine At Venus
Recently published ALMA observations suggest the presence of 20 ppb PH3 in the upper clouds of Venus. This is an unexpected result, as PH3 does not have a readily apparent […]