NASA releases pictures of Venus’s surface taken by Parker Solar Probe in new light
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In 2020 and 2021, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) of the US space agency took the images on two flybys of Venus. But its full analysis was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on Wednesday. The probe used a spectrum, which ranged from 470-800 nanometers, approaching infrared, to catch the glow caused by the excessive heat on the surface of the planet
A video and some pictures of the surface of Venus have been released by NASA. These were taken last year by the Parker Solar Probe on a flyby.
The first images of this kind may help in learning more about the most earth-like planet in the solar system, the scientists said.
In 2020 and 2021, the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) of the US space agency took the images on two flybys of Venus. But its full analysis was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on Wednesday. It was also announced on NASA’s website.
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Brian Wood, physicist, Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC, who was also the lead author of the study, said, “Venus is the third brightest thing in the sky, but until recently we have not had much information on what the surface looked like because our view of it is blocked by a thick atmosphere. Now, we finally are seeing the surface in visible wavelengths for the first time from space.”
Parker Solar Probe has taken its first visible light images of the surface of Venus from space! 📸
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) February 9, 2022
The planet is smothered in thick clouds, but during recent flybys of the planet Parker’s cameras peered through to see the surface: https://t.co/FNWNLwVSNI#VisionsOfVenus pic.twitter.com/itp1tcB4YN
According to NASA, the probe revealed “a faint glow from the surface that shows distinctive features like continental regions, plains, and plateaus,” while a “luminescent halo of oxygen in the atmosphere can also be seen surrounding the planet.”
The probe used a spectrum, which ranged from 470-800 nanometers, approaching infrared, to catch the glow caused by the excessive heat on the surface of the planet.
Join us live!https://t.co/ZETtBG2kor
— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) February 10, 2022
Parker Solar Probe’s just-released images of Venus — the first visible light images of the planet’s surface from space: pic.twitter.com/gDLOXOYXxL
“The surface of Venus, even on the nightside, is about 860 degrees,” Wood said, using the Fahrenheit scale. “It's so hot that the rocky surface of Venus is visibly glowing, like a piece of iron pulled from a forge.”
(With inputs from agencies)