Never-before seen images of Venus' surface unveiled
The surface of Venus is usually hidden from sight due to thick clouds, but NASA's Parker Solar Probe captured the clearest images of the planet's surface ever taken -- and the photos have shocked scientists.
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 12, 2022 5:48 PM EDT
|
Updated Feb 14, 2022 2:21 PM EDT
We’re finally beginning to put together the pieces of the Venus mystery.
The very first visible-light images of Venus' surface from space have been captured by NASA's Parker Solar Probe, and it could help researchers piece together the mysteries of the distant planet.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to give researchers a better understanding of the sun. The probe travels through the sun's atmosphere and is closer to the surface of the sun than any spacecraft before it, according to NASA.
The probe utilizes the gravity of Venus to gradually orbit closer to the sun. While passing by Venus, the Parker Solar Probe captured never-before-seen images of the planet. Using its Wide-Field Imager (WISPR), the probe was able to look at Venus below the planet's thick atmosphere. Venus' surface is usually hidden from sight due to thick clouds.
“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,” said Brian Wood, lead author on the new study and physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
Through the probe, WISPR was able to capture the entire nightside of Venus in wavelengths of the visible spectrum. This revealed spectacular imagery of the surface on Venus.
New images of Venus from the NASA Parker Solar Probe. (YouTube / NASA Goddard)
NASA recently revealed the images in a video posted on YouTube. The images reveal a faint glow on the planet's surface. This glow shows distinctive features such as continental regions, plains and even plateaus.
“We’re thrilled with the science insights Parker Solar Probe has provided thus far,” Division director for the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, Nicola Fox, said in a statement on NASA's website. “Parker continues to outperform our expectations, and we are excited that these novel observations taken during our gravity assist maneuver can help advance Venus research in unexpected ways.”
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One of the great mysteries of Venus is why it became inhospitable, while Earth became 'an oasis.' Infrared imagery tools were able to get a better idea of Venus through the work done by the probe.
The higher the region on Venus, the cooler it appeared to be through these tools. This helps researchers have a better understanding of what Venus is made of. Different minerals heat and cool differently, so infrared imagery helps piece together some information about materials on the distant planet.
NASA/APL/NRL (black and white image), Magellan Team/JPL/USGS (color image)
WISPR first captured images of Venus in July 2020 during its third flyby of Venus. Scientists had the idea to use WISPR to image the cloud tops that hid much of Venus' surface. But instead of just measuring clouds, WISPR was able to get through to the surface.
"The images were so striking that the scientists turned on the cameras again during the fourth pass in February 2021. During the 2021 flyby, the spacecraft’s orbit lined up perfectly for WISPR to image Venus’ nightside in entirety," freelance science writer Mara Johnson-Groh wrote on an article for NASA.
Around the end of this decade, more spacecraft are expected to head to Venus. NASA has two missions planned for Venus: DAVINCI and VERITAS. Both missions are expected to help sample and image Venus' atmosphere. The surface of Venus will also be remapped at a higher resolution using infrared wavelengths through these missions.
“By studying the surface and atmosphere of Venus, we hope the upcoming missions will help scientists understand the evolution of Venus and what was responsible for making Venus inhospitable today,” Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, said in an online statement. “While both DAVINCI and VERITAS will use primarily near-infrared imaging, Parker’s results have shown the value of imaging a wide range of wavelengths.”
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News / Astronomy
Never-before seen images of Venus' surface unveiled
The surface of Venus is usually hidden from sight due to thick clouds, but NASA's Parker Solar Probe captured the clearest images of the planet's surface ever taken -- and the photos have shocked scientists.
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 12, 2022 5:48 PM EDT | Updated Feb 14, 2022 2:21 PM EDT
We’re finally beginning to put together the pieces of the Venus mystery.
The very first visible-light images of Venus' surface from space have been captured by NASA's Parker Solar Probe, and it could help researchers piece together the mysteries of the distant planet.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to give researchers a better understanding of the sun. The probe travels through the sun's atmosphere and is closer to the surface of the sun than any spacecraft before it, according to NASA.
The probe utilizes the gravity of Venus to gradually orbit closer to the sun. While passing by Venus, the Parker Solar Probe captured never-before-seen images of the planet. Using its Wide-Field Imager (WISPR), the probe was able to look at Venus below the planet's thick atmosphere. Venus' surface is usually hidden from sight due to thick clouds.
“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,” said Brian Wood, lead author on the new study and physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
Through the probe, WISPR was able to capture the entire nightside of Venus in wavelengths of the visible spectrum. This revealed spectacular imagery of the surface on Venus.
New images of Venus from the NASA Parker Solar Probe. (YouTube / NASA Goddard)
NASA recently revealed the images in a video posted on YouTube. The images reveal a faint glow on the planet's surface. This glow shows distinctive features such as continental regions, plains and even plateaus.
“We’re thrilled with the science insights Parker Solar Probe has provided thus far,” Division director for the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, Nicola Fox, said in a statement on NASA's website. “Parker continues to outperform our expectations, and we are excited that these novel observations taken during our gravity assist maneuver can help advance Venus research in unexpected ways.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
One of the great mysteries of Venus is why it became inhospitable, while Earth became 'an oasis.' Infrared imagery tools were able to get a better idea of Venus through the work done by the probe.
The higher the region on Venus, the cooler it appeared to be through these tools. This helps researchers have a better understanding of what Venus is made of. Different minerals heat and cool differently, so infrared imagery helps piece together some information about materials on the distant planet.
NASA/APL/NRL (black and white image), Magellan Team/JPL/USGS (color image)
WISPR first captured images of Venus in July 2020 during its third flyby of Venus. Scientists had the idea to use WISPR to image the cloud tops that hid much of Venus' surface. But instead of just measuring clouds, WISPR was able to get through to the surface.
"The images were so striking that the scientists turned on the cameras again during the fourth pass in February 2021. During the 2021 flyby, the spacecraft’s orbit lined up perfectly for WISPR to image Venus’ nightside in entirety," freelance science writer Mara Johnson-Groh wrote on an article for NASA.
Around the end of this decade, more spacecraft are expected to head to Venus. NASA has two missions planned for Venus: DAVINCI and VERITAS. Both missions are expected to help sample and image Venus' atmosphere. The surface of Venus will also be remapped at a higher resolution using infrared wavelengths through these missions.
“By studying the surface and atmosphere of Venus, we hope the upcoming missions will help scientists understand the evolution of Venus and what was responsible for making Venus inhospitable today,” Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, said in an online statement. “While both DAVINCI and VERITAS will use primarily near-infrared imaging, Parker’s results have shown the value of imaging a wide range of wavelengths.”
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