Venus is our closest neighbor apart from Mars, its proximity means that in our perspective in the celestial vault it is positioned as the third brightest object. Despite this, until a few days ago we did not know its surface because a dense atmosphere blocks the view. But in one more milestone attributed to the NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has finally been able to decipher the surface of Venus and the images are simply stunning.
They reveal the surface of Venus
With the help of the Wide-field Imager instrument attached to the Parker Solar Probe (WISPR), the researchers were able to observe the Venusian surface for the first time. They discovered geological features similar to those that extend along the length of the Earth. With highlands, plateaus and plains rising in our cosmic neighbor, the researchers say these discoveries could help us better understand the early formation of Venus.
Despite its proximity and because it is known as ‘Earth’s evil twin’, the Venusian planet has represented a complete mystery to humanity. So much so that most of the space exploration efforts are aimed at Mars, due to the difficulty represented by the study of Venus.
From the little we know about it is that it is very similar to our planet, although something happened during its development that made its atmosphere one of the most hostile in the Solar System. It is made up of extremely thick and toxic clouds that precipitate drops of sulfuric acid. For this reason, its study has become an almost impossible challenge to achieve. For its close exploration completely defies human technology that would not withstand such hostile conditions.
infrared data
Using data from the WISPR instrument, NASA experts were able to peer below the thick Venusian atmosphere. Although it can be said that like almost all space exploration images, these are images with wavelengths different from those captured by the human eye.
WISPR is optimized for visible light, its vision expands well beyond the electromagnetic spectrum that humans are capable of observing. Thanks to this, it was possible to capture even temperature variations on the surface of the night side of Venus. Here «it is so hot that the rocky surface of Venus glows visibly. Like a piece of iron taken from a forge,» explains Brian Wood, an astrophysicist and member of the Naval Research Laboratory. In contrast, WISPR could not capture the infrared variations of the day side of Venus, heated by the Sun.
The images are a milestone in space exploration, because thanks to the capture of the infrared spectrum, the structure of the surface can be known. This is because minerals conduct and release heat in different ways. Therefore, these data could be used to decipher the mineralogy that makes up the Venusian surface.
This is perhaps the greatest finding ever made of Earth’s evil twin. Although it remains to wait for new research to be based on the data obtained to learn more about it.
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