Discoveries using the telescopes on Mauna Kea

[randomq]

I think TomK's announcement is coming tonight or tomorrow. I guarantee it's aliens!

[TomK]

Yes, you are right!

The news is not official, but it's already out there. Phosphine discovered in Venus' atmosphere. Phosphine is a biomarker, essentially bacterial farts. The JCMT on Mauna Kea was first to detect the molecule which was then confirmed by ALMA. There may be life on Venus.

Latest is here: http://astrobiology.com/2020/09/phosphin...-life.html

Edited to add: It's now been officially announced:

https://www.eaobservatory.org/jcmt/2020/...enus-news/

https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/hints-life-venus

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54133538

https://youtu.be/5IIj3e5BFp0

[TomK]

For those interested, the full RAS press briefing is available on youtube:

https://youtu.be/y1u-jlf_Olo

Incidentally, Jane Greaves spent many years living on the Big Island working at the JCMT along with her husband at the time, Wayne Holland. Unfortunately, Wayne passed away a few years ago from cancer.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Thanks TomK, that’s an incredible discovery.  An Earth shaking ... Venus shaking ... an Earth & Venus shaking breakthrough in interplanetary research.
I look forward to reading all the links you provided later today. Thanks again.

[kalianna]

That's it? Microbes?! No little green men? No flying saucers? I was hoping the aliens might come and save us from our collective stupidity.
Oh well. Randomq: how did you know the timing?

[eightfingers2.0]

Average atmospheric temperature is around 850 degrees. Those are some tough microbes!

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Tom, that's a beautiful photo on JCMT's website with their announcement.  The red-brown of Mauna Kea, contrasted with Mauna Loa shaded blue in the hazy distance, is striking

Let's hope this discovery leads to more research and a closer examination of Venus atmosphere from Mauna Kea's telescopes.  And perhaps a flagship mission in the near future as one article suggested.

[TomK]

HOTPE - that's actually Hualalai in the background and behind it is the shadow of Mauna Kea. The picture was taken at sunrise.

8F - the phosphine is actually coming from clouds high up in the atmosphere, roughly 35 miles above the surface. The temperature there is more like a nice day in Hawaii with similar atmospheric pressure. The problem, however, is that the water in the clouds is mostly in the form of sulfuric acid, so yes, the microbes would have to be tough little buggers.

Sorry this isn't actual aliens or flying saucers, but it is one of the most, if not the most, significant discoveries in the search for extra-terrestrial life, the other being the detection of earth-like exoplanets. This may be the first real evidence that there is life elsewhere in the universe. And it comes from the Big Island of Hawaii.

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PS. kalianna - the news was leaked all over the web last night, someone broke the embargo. I suspect that's why randomq knew. Even the Honolulu Star-Advertiser published the story well before the official announcemnet was made. I expect to see the report of the discovery in the Hilo Trib sometime towards the end of the week...

[dan_c]

I woke up to this on my phone today.  It's pretty exciting, all of the reasons I read that it could be life making the phosphine and some of the cautionary don't get your hopes up until we see 'em responses.  It looks like we will have wait until the 30's to get probes to the clouds.

Rocket Lab seems to have a plan to get to Venus in a few years... this was an interesting article from last month sort of teasing the info we got today:  https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-private...-2023.html

And here is an sort of an updated version since the news got out: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54151861

Of course by the end of the day the buzz is wearing off with the weight of all the other news.  I saw this from Stephen Colbert:



Sad.

[randomq]

TomK is correct. Though it is 2020, so we'll probably soon discover that the Venusians are much more advanced than we thought, and are invading the Earth.