Life on Venus? Proof that God is greater than we think, says the Vatican astronomer

Weighting in the discussion about the possible discovery of life on Venus, the Vatican summit on everything related to outer space warned against becoming too speculative, but said that if something living exists on the planet, it does not change the calculation in terms of God's relationship with humanity.

"Life on another planet is no different from the existence of other life forms here on Earth," Jesuit brother Guy Consolmagno told Crux, noting that both Venus and Earth "and every star we can see in the same universe created by God himself “.

“After all, the existence of [other] human beings doesn't mean that God doesn't love me,” he said, adding that “God loves all of us, individually, uniquely, completely; He can do it because he is God… this is what it means to be infinite. "

“It's a good thing, perhaps, that something like this reminds us humans to stop making God smaller than He really is,” he said.

Vatican Observatory director Consolmagno spoke after a group of astronomers released a series of documents on Monday stating that through powerful telescopic images, they were able to detect the chemical phosphine in Venus' atmosphere and determined through various analyzes. that a living organism was the only explanation for the chemical's origin.

Some researchers contest the argument, as there are no samples or specimens of Venusian microbes, arguing instead that the phosphine could be the result of an inexplicable atmospheric or geological process.

Named after the Roman goddess of beauty, in the past Venus was not considered a habitat for something living given its scorching temperatures and the thick layer of sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.

More attention has been paid to other planets, such as Mars. NASA has made plans for a possible mission to Mars in 2030 to study the planet's past habitability by collecting rocks and soil to report for analysis.

Phosphine, Consolmagno said, is a gas containing one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms, and its distinctive spectrum, he added, "makes it relatively easy to detect in modern microwave telescopes."

What's intriguing about finding it on Venus is that "while it may be stable in an atmosphere like that of Jupiter, which is rich in hydrogen, on Earth or Venus - with its acid clouds - it shouldn't survive long."

Although he doesn't know the specific details, Consolmagno said the only natural source of phosphine found on Earth comes from some microbes.

“The fact that it can be seen in the clouds of Venus tells us that it is not a gas that has been around since the planet's formation, but rather something that has to be produced… somehow… at the rate at which acid clouds can destroy. it. Hence, possible microbes. Could be."

Given the high temperatures on Venus, which rise to around 880 degrees Fahrenheit, nothing can live on its surface, Consolmagno said, noting that any microbes where phosphine was found would be in the clouds, where temperatures tend to be much cooler. .

"Just as the stratosphere of the Earth's atmosphere is very cold, so is the upper region of the atmosphere of Venus," he said, but noted that for Venus, "very cold" is equivalent to temperatures found on the surface of the Earth - a which was the basis of scientific theories up to 50 years ago that suggested that there may be microbes in the clouds of Venus.

However, despite the enthusiasm for the possible confirmation of the existence of these microbes, Consolmagno cautioned not to get carried away too quickly, saying: "the scientists who made the discovery are very, very cautious not to over-interpret their result. ".

"It's intriguing and deserves further study before we start believing any speculation about it," he said