NASA’s Solar Probe Captures Amazing Image During Venus Flyby
While all eyes have been on Mars this week, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which is studying the structure and surface of the Sun, as well as gathering data on solar winds, used a close approach to the planet Venus to beam back some stunning photos, which were actually imaged last year.
We know Venus as a planet with an alleged runaway greenhouse effect that lifts surface temperatures to an average of 864 degrees Fahrenheit and is obscured by an atmosphere of thick gases, but the spacecraft managed to actually image the highest landform on the planet. The atmosphere is so thin at that height that the geologic feature was picked up by the visible light camera. The area, known as Aphrodite Terra, experiences an average high temperature of only 85 degrees due to its altitude.
The probe’s Wide-field Image camera also captured an eerie shine around the edge of the planet, which NASA says may be due to ‘nightglow,’ or “light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside.”
Excited about the images, project scientist Karl Battams also tweeted about a spot on the camera lens that made it appear as if there was an anomalous feature in the Venusian clouds, saying “I see a few comments online about this blob in our Venus image – it’s a defect on the camera lens (can be seen in all our data). #ItsNeverAliens”
During its mission, the Parker Solar Probe is scheduled to closely approach Venus a total of seven times in order to change its orbit around the Sun, taking it closer with each “gravity assist” maneuver.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi PSI Readers,
First, August 10-12, 1992 there was an International Colloquium On Venus at Pasadena, CA. This was shortly after the topography of the Venus had been mapped by radar from a satellite that was orbiting the planet. So the high plateau was observed then so it was no mystery what the darker image recently seen was.
“The atmosphere is so thin at that height that the geologic feature was picked up by the visible light camera.” Important Information!! For “The probe’s Wide-field Image camera also captured an eerie shine around the edge of the planet, which NASA says may be due to ‘nightglow,’ or “light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside.”
Here we have evidence of what this NASA spokesperson (or author) doesn’t know (understand). If one goes to the tweet link, the ‘erie image’ is better defined.
For if one finds an photo of the entire earth taken from space, you will see (find) a similar ‘white’ band beyond the earth’s edge (technically the ‘limb’).
The long path length of the solar radiation through the high,. very diffuse atmosphere, at the limb of Venus, scatters the solar radiation just as we see twilight (from the earth’s surface) significantly before sunrise and after sunset.
I consider NASA’s explanation of of the ‘eerie shine’ is unquestionable evidence of the general incompetence of NASA scientists (engineers???). Certainly there can be no conspiracy involved in this NASA explanation.
Have a good day, Jerry “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““`
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Robert Beatty
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I would be interested to know why many images appear as streaks of light – one particularly bright, while stars appear sharp indicating this is not a time lapse effect?
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Jerry Krause
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Hi Bobert,
Most of the lines are toward the atmosphere so H ave you considered ‘shooting stars’? The one long one against the black space (outisde the influence of any ‘atmosphere’ is more difficult to speculate about. But I will try. Because of the brightness Venus’s high albedo and its nearness to the sun, I assume a very fast ‘shutter speed’ was used, which could stop the motion of the distant stars. But what if there was a tother space craft orbiting the sun.? I hasten to state that I claim no knowledge, only a creative imagination.
Have a good day, Jerry
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JaKo
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Hi Robert,
If you go to NASA Parker’s mission you can learn: “Bright streaks in WISPR, such as the ones seen here, are typically caused by a combination of charged particles — called cosmic rays — sunlight reflected by grains of space dust, and particles of material expelled from the spacecraft’s structures after impact with those dust grains. The number of streaks varies along the orbit or when the spacecraft is traveling at different speeds, and scientists are still in discussion about the specific origins of the streaks here. The dark spot appearing on the lower portion of Venus is an artifact from the WISPR instrument.”
Cheers, JaKo
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Jerry Krause
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Hi JaKo
Thank you! I was generally agreeing with NASA until I read: “scientists are still in discussion about the specific origins of the streaks here.” Finally, evidence that NASA has some actual SCIENTISTS who are not absolutely certain of anything.
As Richard Feynman, an eventual Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, state in an public address at the 1955 autumn meeting of the National Academy of the National Academy of Sciences: “Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty–some most unsure, some nearly sure, but none absolutely certain.”
Have a good day, Jerry
a
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J Cuttance
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That temperature cannot be that low on a part of Venus only three kilometres above the planets average surface level. That temperature would occur something like 60km up.
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Jerry Krause
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Hi J,
I read that the highest peaks are 7 miles above the its average surface level. Don’t know if what I read is reasonably accurate; but I do know the author was sloppy and did not write 85 degrees C or 85 degrees F. Yes, I know that it was 864 degrees F but I considered this was possibly to dramatize the great temperature of the planet’s surface. Lots of problems relative tp ‘accurate definition’.
Have a good day, Jerry
Have a good day, Jerry
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Heretic Jones
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NASA. Hilarious.
If you wanna have some fun, go to a non-google search engine and type in “NASA fail compilation”, or type in “why does NASA love 666”.
As has been said, space may be the final frontier but it’s made in a Hollywood basement.
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