Views of Venus' high-level clouds. Credit: NASA/JPL
Key points:
- For the first time, scientists identified the component that explains the dark UV-patches and streaks observed in the clouds of Venus.
- By synthesizing iron-bearing sulfate minerals and measuring UV absorbance patterns, the team identified two minerals—rhomboclase and acid ferric sulfateas—responsible for UV absorption of Venus’ clouds.
- This study and the newly formed Origins Federation lay the groundwork for future explorations of Venus.
Scientists know that the clouds of Venus consist mainly of sulfuric acid droplets with some water, chlorine, and iron. However, they have been unable to identify the component that would explain the clouds’ patches and streaks that are only visible in the UV range.
Now, a study, published in Science Advances, reveals that a combination of two minerals— rhomboclase and acid ferric sulfate—explain the mysterious UV absorption of Venus’ clouds.
Researchers began by synthesizing several iron-bearing sulfate minerals. They suspended the newly synthesized materials in varying concentrations of sulfuric acid and monitored any chemical and mineralogical changes. Combining this approach with examination by light sources that mimic the spectrum of solar flares, the team narrowed down the candidate minerals to rhomboclase and acid ferric sulfate.
The team was part of the newly established Origins Federation and collaborated with photochemists to measure the UV absorbance patterns of ferric iron under extreme acidic conditions like those of Venusian clouds. The patterns and level of absorption of rhomboclase and ferric sulfate were consistent with the dark UV-patches observed in Venusian clouds.
“Venus is our nearest neighbor, but it remains a mystery,” said study author Paul Rimmer, professor at the University of Cambridge. “We will have a chance to learn much more about this planet in the coming years with future NASA and ESA missions set to explore its atmosphere, clouds, and surface. This study prepares the grounds for these future explorations.”