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NASA Spacecraft Successfully Captures Venus Night Side Image – All Pages

NASA, APL, NRL

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe peered through Venus’ cloud cover to capture the first visible light image of the planet’s surface taken from space.

Nationalgeographic.co.id—NASA reports first visible light image from the surface Venus. This image was successfully captured by the camera WISPR (Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe) on the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. This success could help scientists understand more about the surface geology of Venus. They also helped get information about what minerals might be there, as well as the evolution of Venus.

The surface of Venus is filled with mountainous regions, there are even thousands of large volcanoes. According to NASA, the surface looks rusty, and is covered by thick clouds.

The Parker Solar Probe captured the first images in July 2020 during its third flyby. In addition to seeing through the clouds, this spacecraft also peeks through the planet’s surface. Using the WISPR device, the Parker Solar Probe has captured the first visible light images from the surface of Venus. The images show distinctive features such as continental regions, plains, and highlands. It also reveals the halo of oxygen in the atmosphere that surrounds the planet.

“We are very pleased with the scientific insights that the Parker Solar Probe has provided so far. Parker continues to exceed our expectations, and we are excited that new observations taken during the gravity-assisted maneuver can help us advance Venus research in unexpected ways.” Nicola Foxdivisional director for the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, as reported Tech Explorist.

The results of these observations have been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on February 9, 2022 with the title Parker Solar Probe Imaging of the Night Side of Venus.

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Surface features seen in the WISPR image (left) match those seen on the Magellan mission (right).

NASA/APL/NRL, Magellan Team/JPL/USGS

Surface features seen in the WISPR image (left) match those seen on the Magellan mission (right).


The images were so striking that scientists turned on the camera again during their fourth flyby in February 2021. As it passed Venus, WISPR picked up a wavelength range from 470 nanometers to 800 nanometers. Some light is near-infrared i.e., wavelengths that cannot be seen but are felt as heat, whereas some other light, is in the visible range.

“The surface of Venus, even on the night side, is about 860 degrees. It was so hot that the rocky surface of Venus seemed to glow, like a piece of iron pulled from a forge forge.” said Wood.

The WISPR images also show features on the surface of Venus, such as the continental region of Aphrodite Terra, the Tellus Regio plateau, and the Aino Planitia plain. Because the higher elevation areas are about 85 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the lower areas, they appear as dark areas in the center of the brighter lowlands.

WISPR has also imaged the dust ring of Venus’ orbit. On the other hand, the FIEDS instrument measures radio waves in Venus’ atmosphere. The measurements are expected to help scientists understand how the upper atmosphere changes during the Sun’s 11-year cycle of activity.

The scientists combined the first image with the previous one. Thus, they obtained a wider range of wavelengths to study. This could help them identify the mineralogy on the planet’s surface. Along with its glowing surface, the image shows a bright ring around the planet’s edge caused by light-emitting oxygen atoms in the atmosphere. This type of light is known as airglow.

“By studying Venus’ surface and atmosphere, we hope that future missions will help scientists understand the evolution of Venus and what is responsible for making Venus inhospitable today. While DAVINCI and VERITAS will use near-infrared imaging, Parker’s results have demonstrated the value of imaging a wide range of wavelengths.” explains Lori Glaze, director of the Division of Planetary Science at NASA Headquarters.

Wood added, “The new photos, however, can help in the interpretation of future observations taken from this new mission.”

Also Read: New Study: Venus Never Had Oceans Like Earth


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