What Have Scientists Spotted on Venus?

Despite decades of research, planets like Venus are still steeped in mystery. But every now and then, astronomers make a milestone discovery. Using Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, scientists from Tokyo’s Rikkyo University have honed in on an enormous structure suspended in the planet’s atmosphere. The mysterious object appeared in infrared images snapped by the spacecraft back in December 2015.

While little is known about the formation, the team believe that it’s a stationary wave suspended in the upper clouds of the planet’s upper atmosphere. After studying maps, they estimate that it stretches for more than 10,000 kilometres over a mountainous region of Venus.

“This is the first evidence of gravity wave propagation from the lower atmosphere to the middle atmosphere [of Venus],” comments Makoto Taguchi, one of the study’s authors.

Air waves in a literal sense

The exact physical properties of the wave are unclear, though the team guesses that it was created by air flow patterns. This sees air flow over the mountains, and rapidly transition from high to low temperatures. As this occurs, the two regions attempt to balance out in equilibrium, which creates a gravity wave. For those struggling to wrap their heads around the concept, the process is similar to the movement of waves as they roll through the ocean.

Findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience, with the team making interesting observations on the physical state of the wave. While in the past bow-shaped regions tend to drift with the planet’s high speed background winds, this monstrous wave remained stationary for over four days.

“There may exist a mechanism of gravity wave generation like a mountain wave or a thermal tide, which are found in the terrestrial atmosphere,” explains Taguchi. “To answer this question, we need more data that covers all local times and longitudes.”

Breaking down atmospheric barriers

Unfortunately for astronomers, Venus is blanketed by an incredibly dense atmosphere. This makes it difficult to observe its surface, as well as parts of its lower atmosphere. For Taguchi and his team, this simply means that there’s plenty more research to be done. Akatsuki’s flagship infrared camera will continue to snap photographs of the atmosphere, with a second lens actively searching for volcanic activity. Meanwhile, a third camera is on the hunt for traces of lighting, with results expected to start filtering in over the next few years.

While Japan is using infrared technology to unravel the mysteries of Venus, molecular biologists are using highly sensitive, ultra-powerful polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to carry out gene analysis. ‘What to Consider when Choosing a Thermal Cycler for Clinical Diagnostics’ explores the importance of choosing the right solutions, which can help provide rapid and early diagnosis of diseases such as leukaemia and lymphomas.