Surprise! Oxygen detected on Venus in huge quantities on this hellish planet

tech.hindustantimes.com:

In a surprising twist, German astronomers have uncovered the presence of oxygen in Venus's atmosphere, challenging the conventional understanding of the planet's composition. The revelation, which spans both the day and night sides of Venus, could hold key insights into the stark differences between Earth and its so-called "Second self." Despite Venus being Earth's closest neighbour and sharing a strikingly similar size, with a radius of 6,052 km compared to Earth's 6,371 km, the two planets have notably distinct atmospheres. While that of the Earth has encouraged life to flower, that on Venus is exactly the opposite and can well be described as 'hellish'. In fact, Venus is known as the 'evil twin' of Earth.

While Earth boasts a life-sustaining blend of oxygen and nitrogen, Venus is enveloped by an atmosphere comprising approximately 96% carbon dioxide (CO2), 3.5% molecular nitrogen, and trace amounts of various gases, including carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, water vapour, argon, and helium, Cosmosmagazine reported.

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The hefty atmosphere on Venus exerts an immense pressure of 93 bar on the planet's surface, akin to the pressure experienced about 900 metres underwater on Earth. Scientists attribute these extreme conditions to a "runaway greenhouse effect," a process that transformed Venus from a potentially Earth-like world to its current inhospitable state.

The recent findings, based on observations from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy aeroplane, indicate that oxygen is generated on Venus's day side through the breakdown of CO2 and carbon monoxide (CO). This oxygen is then transported to the night side through atmospheric circulation, challenging previous