Stunning New Images of Venus from the Parker Solar Probe - The Cosmic Companion Feb. 25, 2021
A visible-light camera aboard NASA's Parker Solar Probe reveals details on the surface of Venus, sitting beneath an eternal layer of clouds. Wait. What?
New images of Venus recorded by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe offer unexpected new science.
The Parker Solar Probe was designed to study the Sun, but it may be even better at seeing through the clouds of Venus than anyone predicted. Image credit: Parker Solar Probe: NASA Johns Hopkins APL Steve Gribben, Venus: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Laboratory/Guillermo Stenborg and Brendan Gallagher
By James Maynard
The Parker Solar Probe, designed for detailed study of the Sun, has another advantage — it is able to examine planets as it passes their orbits. As it refines its orbit around our Sun, Parker will pass Venus a total of seven times over its seven-year mission. The Parker probe uses the gravitational pull of planets to bend its path through the Solar System.
Recorded on July 11, 2020, a fascinating new image of Venus was taken during the third of Parker’s seven planned encounters with the Sun. This photo was recorded by the Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) from a distance of 12,380 kilometers (7,693 miles) from the nightside of the planet.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/stunning-new-images-of-venus-from-the-parker-solar-probe
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