A multi-institutional workforce of astrophysicists from Germany has made the primary direct statement of oxygen atoms within the day facet environment of Venus. Of their project, reported within the journal Nature Communications, the group studied information from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, (SOFIA), the airplane-based reflecting telescope, to be taught extra about components and molecules in Venus’s environment.
Planetary scientists have lengthy suspected that the atomic type of oxygen exists in Venus’ environment on each the day and evening sides. Whereas excessive ranges of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide have been measured within the planet’s environment, discovering proof of oxygen in its elemental kind has confirmed more difficult resulting from its reactivity—it tends to bind shortly to different components it encounters.
Prior researchers have noticed the presence of atomic oxygen within the environment on the darkish facet of Venus, the place it emits a faint glow. However till now, it not been noticed on the sunny facet. On this new effort, the analysis workforce targeted on 17 factors within the Venusian environment buried in information from SOFIA observations. They discovered proof of atomic oxygen in all of them, marking the primary time oxygen in its atomic kind has been noticed on the sunny facet of Venus.
The researchers recommend that the oxygen comes about resulting from power from the sun breaking up carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide molecules. They additional recommend that these atoms make their solution to the darkish facet of the planet courtesy of the sturdy winds within the Venusian environment. As soon as there, they seemingly mix into molecular oxygen and react with different components as properly.
The analysis workforce additionally means that atomic oxygen in Venus’s environment seemingly has a cooling effect on the planet—when single oxygen atoms collide with different molecules, equivalent to carbon dioxide, power is transferred to the molecule, which is then radiated away. The result’s a cooling of the higher layers of the Venusian environment.
Extra info:
Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers et al, Direct detection of atomic oxygen on the dayside and nightside of Venus, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42389-x
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Presence of atomic oxygen confirmed on each day and evening sides of Venus (2023, November 8)
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