{"id":3919,"date":"2022-03-23T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3919"},"modified":"2022-03-08T09:09:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T09:09:03","slug":"the-parker-solar-probe-just-took-its-first-visible-light-photos-of-venus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/the-parker-solar-probe-just-took-its-first-visible-light-photos-of-venus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Parker Solar Probe Just Took Its First Visible-Light Photos of Venus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Months after <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/forget-supercars-the-fastest-man-made-object-is-a-space-probe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming the ultimate speed record for an artificial object<\/a> and after <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/nasas-parker-solar-probe-dipped-through-the-suns-atmosphere-for-the-first-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dipping below our Sun\u2019s atmosphere for the first time<\/a>, the Parker Solar Probe has now achieved its own personal first as it took photos of Venus in the visible light spectrum for the very first time using the probe\u2019s onboard <a href=\"https:\/\/wispr.nrl.navy.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe<\/a> (WISPR) instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The planet, notorious for its thick atmosphere, has often had its surface features obfuscated, meaning it is commonly not that easy to study its features at a distance. This is the reason why <a href=\"https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/magellan\/in-depth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">earlier missions to our other neighboring planet<\/a> have their probes plunge through Venus\u2019 blistering-hot atmosphere, all at the chance of gathering crucial insights into what\u2019s happening below its clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA\u2019s New Views of Venus\u2019 Surface From Space\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rk0PZ1qnLXw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>NASA created a short video discussing the photos of Venus and what they tell us about our planetary neighbor. (NASA Goddard, 2022)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, the Parker Solar Probe didn\u2019t need to do such stunts, as its mission lies elsewhere; nevertheless, scientists pointed the Sun-bound probe\u2019s WISPR cameras towards the nightside of Venus, granting scientists images of its beauty in visible light that extends into the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. A study detailed these images further, which was published in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1029\/2021GL096302\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Geophysical Research Letters<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled with the science insights Parker Solar Probe has provided thus far,\u201d said NASA Headquarters\u2019 Heliophysics Division director Nicola Fox. \u201cParker 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/iKOgD6NtECTfEgjtjze8nr2G5VvHfHKO60xOv4dXgERQPGa-PvkGIYi1UyOLs5OPTOX9rLrZkeWBHrsvuk6jUOvPI7H8whkxwYLAOzcJitwJHZpwnkbxZcnbvtySLX-dA3aJ2I1j\" ><figcaption>The Parker Solar Probe\u2019s third flyby of Venus back in 2020 had the probe use WISPR to take a photo of Venus to take measurements of the planet\u2019s cloud speed; instead, the probe peered through the clouds and managed to take a snapshot of the planet\u2019s surface. (NASA\/Johns Hopkins APL\/Naval Research Laboratory\/Stenborg\/Gallagher, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Brain Wood, lead author of the published study and from the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrl.navy.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Naval Research Laboratory<\/a>, added: \u201cVenus 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parker actually took its first photos of Venus as it performed its flyby of the planet back in July of 2020\u2014a maneuver that\u2019s necessary for the probe to \u201cbend\u201d its orbit closer to the Sun. There, scientists imagined WISPR being capable of measuring the speed of the clouds that pass over Venus\u2019 surface. However, WISPR also managed to take photos of the surface of Venus, and actually viewed through its thick clouds; the scientists were so impressed that they decided to take photos of Venus\u2019 entire nightside again during Parker\u2019s fourth flyby of the planet last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/ajnem1AVvb2T7-66ckJtS2JTaRRXlTJCW87mbUq9zr-ILJ51jkb13p3ALRWd1tHo0q8iIk9OkWAHYoNE0yXK_Zrs6mCQYSVXg_IL7t2ARkLyVumZQop-uYZNX90QK_RdCCy71a3C\" ><figcaption>On the Parker Solar Probe\u2019s fourth flyby of Venus, its WISPR instrument captured a series of photos of Venus\u2019 nightside; the researchers stitched these photos into an animation which can be seen above. (NASA\/APL\/NRL, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t let the concept of \u201cVenus at night\u201d fool you into thinking of a romantic dinner on another planet, however; even at night, Venus\u2019 surface glows in the visible spectrum due to the planet possessing a surface temperature of 460 \u00b0C (860 \u00b0F). Wood, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2022\/sun\/parker-solar-probe-captures-its-first-images-of-venus-surface-in-visible-light-confirmed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NASA\u2019s official statement<\/a>, calls the planet \u201clike a piece of iron pulled from a forge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists can use these new insights into Venus\u2019 atmosphere and surface to improve their knowledge of its surface geology, as well as to discover new insights into the planet\u2019s history and evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBy 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,\u201d said NASA Planetary Science Division director Lori Glaze. \u201cWhile both DAVINCI and VERITAS will use primarily near-infrared imaging, Parker\u2019s results have shown the value of imaging a wide range of wavelengths,\u201d referring to NASA\u2019s two future missions that aim to send more spacecraft to study Venus by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"references\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Frazier, S. (2021, February 24). <em>Parker solar probe offers stunning view of venus<\/em> [Text]. NASA. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2021\/parker-solar-probe-offers-a-stunning-view-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2021\/parker-solar-probe-offers-a-stunning-view-of-venus<\/a><\/li><li>Hatfield, M. (2022, February 9). <em>Parker solar probe captures visible light images of venus\u2019 surface<\/em> [Text]. NASA. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2022\/sun\/parker-solar-probe-captures-its-first-images-of-venus-surface-in-visible-light-confirmed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2022\/sun\/parker-solar-probe-captures-its-first-images-of-venus-surface-in-visible-light-confirmed<\/a><\/li><li><em>Magellan<\/em>. (n.d.). NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 8 March 2022, from <a href=\"https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/magellan\/in-depth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/magellan\/in-depth<\/a><\/li><li>Szondy, D. (2022, February 11). <em>Parker Solar Probe captures first visible light images of Venus<\/em>. New Atlas. <a href=\"https:\/\/newatlas.com\/space\/parker-solar-probe-captures-first-visible-light-images-venus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/newatlas.com\/space\/parker-solar-probe-captures-first-visible-light-images-venus\/<\/a><\/li><li>Wood, B. E., Hess, P., Lustig\u2010Yaeger, J., Gallagher, B., Korwan, D., Rich, N., Stenborg, G., Thernisien, A., Qadri, S. N., Santiago, F., Peralta, J., Arney, G. N., Izenberg, N. R., Vourlidas, A., Linton, M. G., Howard, R. A., &amp; Raouafi, N. E. (2022). Parker solar probe imaging of the night side of venus. <em>Geophysical Research Letters<\/em>, <em>49<\/em>(3). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2021GL096302\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2021GL096302<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Months after claiming the ultimate speed record for an artificial object and after dipping below our Sun\u2019s atmosphere&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[44,396,492],"class_list":{"0":"post-3919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-nasa","9":"tag-parker-solar-probe","10":"tag-venus","11":"cs-entry","12":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3921,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions\/3921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}