Venus Atmosphere Discovery: Oxygen Atoms Detected for First Time

KOMPAS.com – For the first time, oxygen atoms have been detected in the daytime atmosphere of the planet Venus, without being part of larger molecules.

Researchers recently suggested that oxygen in Venus’ atmosphere is produced during the day through the decomposition of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which is then transported to the night side via atmospheric circulation.

Observations of oxygen on Venus

When Venus was investigated up close, the mission revealed Venus’s atmosphere was laden with carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Considering that oxygen is a very reactive element, on planets, oxygen usually binds with other elements, such as in the Earth’s crust or atmosphere.

As a result, the existence of atomic oxygen is far from certain. However, observations of the Venusian atmosphere by the Venus Express satellite have reported the presence of a number of oxygen atoms “glowing” in the night atmosphere.

Also read: Is it true that the planet Venus is rotating backwards?

Newly published observations not only demonstrate this, but also provide some insight into the processes that create and distribute oxygen.

Professor Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers from the German Aerospace Center and colleagues used the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to search for oxygen in Venus’ upper atmosphere at 17 locations. As a result, they found oxygen in all these locations.

Oxygen is formed through sunlight breaking down carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide molecules.

Venus’ powerful winds sweep the atoms into the nighttime atmosphere, where they combine into oxygen molecules, before reacting with other elements.

Despite this redistribution, oxygen density is five times higher on Venus during the day than at night.

Also read: Scientists Reveal the Possibility of Venus Having Tectonic Plates Like Earth

According to the research team, oxygen atoms are abundant enough to play an important role in Venus’ atmosphere. When an oxygen atom collides with a carbon dioxide molecule, it imparts energy to the molecule which is then emitted as far as 15 micrometers.

This is the dominant cooling method in the upper layers of the atmosphere of Venus, which is the hottest planet in the Solar System.

Atomic oxygen is concentrated at an altitude of about 100 km. The highest concentrations are between two dominant atmospheric circulation patterns, one of which occurs below 70 km and the other above 120 km.

A look at Venus’ atmosphere

The planet Venus is almost the same size as Earth (Earth has a radius of 6,371 km and Venus 6,052 km). For some reasons, Venus is called Earth’s twin.

However, Earth is supported by a fresh and oxygen-rich atmosphere. Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Venus contains about 96% carbon dioxide, 3.5% nitrogen molecules, and small amounts of other gases including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, water vapor, argon, and helium.

Also read: Why is a Day on Venus Longer than a Year?

Venus’s atmosphere is also the heaviest atmosphere among the rocky planets in the solar system, which exerts a pressure of 93 bar on the planet’s surface or the equivalent of about 900 meters of pressure under Earth’s water.

Get selected news updates and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram Group “Kompas.com News Update”, by clicking the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must install the Telegram application first on your cellphone.

2023-11-08 11:00:00
#Oxygen #Detected #Atmosphere #Day #Night #Venus #Kompas.com