Scientists find atomic oxygen on the day side of Venus

Oxygen atoms were first found on the day side of Venus’ atmosphere. It was already known before Oxygen exists on the night side of the planet, but it was not known exactly how abundant it was..

Various theoretical models had already predicted the presence of the element throughout Venus’ atmosphere, but until then it was impossible to say that it was also present on the dayside. The discovery therefore suggests that there is a greater distribution of atomic oxygen on the planet than previously apparent..

The study, carried out by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), managed to find atoms floating on the planet’s toxic clouds. An important fact is that these elements are dissociated from other molecules because oxygen is already present in other molecular structures.

Unlike other methods used before, which were indirect and relied on measuring the interaction of other molecules, the method used now by German scientists obtained more precise results. For this purpose, direct detection of atomic oxygen was carried out on the day and night side of Venus and its transition from the ground state was measured..

“Atomic oxygen is concentrated at an altitude of around 100 km with maximum column density on the dayside, where it is produced by the photolysis of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. This method allows detailed studies of the Venusian atmosphere to support future space missions to Venus”, says the paper published in the journal Nature.

What is atomic oxygen?

Atomic oxygen is not like the oxygen we breathe, as you might think. This is the O² molecule, which is the result of the union between two atoms. The oxygen in question stands alone and is not part of any other structure..

This is usually a temporary situation, as atomic oxygen is highly reactive and tends to combine easily with other elements to form a molecule. Here on Earth they are abundant at extreme altitudesIt results from the breakdown of O² by solar photons, as in the mesosphere and the lower part of the thermosphere.

Scientists believe that a similar process is occurring in the atmosphere of Venus. Our neighbor’s atmosphere consists mostly of CO², also known as carbon dioxide.

When solar photons enter the planet’s atmosphere, the molecule dissociates into carbon monoxide (CO) and atomic oxygen. However, this is usually temporary and these elements recombine on the night side of Venus. This phenomenon is responsible for the characteristic brightness of the planet..

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