What Space Data Looked Like in 1962 50 years ago today, Mariner 2 became the first interplanetary explorer when the probe flew by Venus, collecting 45 minutes worth of data about our planetary neighbor. It found that Venus was, in fact, a planet much like Earth underneath all that gas, even if it was 800˚F all the time. That carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere means that lead would melt just sitting outside, and serves as a reminder of what runaway greenhouse gases can really do. What did all that data look like? A big roll of paper. We have come quite far. Dig into the details of that pioneering mission, half a century ago, here. (via The Atlantic)
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What Space Data Looked Like in 1962

50 years ago today, Mariner 2 became the first interplanetary explorer when the probe flew by Venus, collecting 45 minutes worth of data about our planetary neighbor. It found that Venus was, in fact, a planet much like Earth underneath all that gas, even if it was 800˚F all the time. That carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere means that lead would melt just sitting outside, and serves as a reminder of what runaway greenhouse gases can really do.

What did all that data look like? A big roll of paper. We have come quite far.

Dig into the details of that pioneering mission, half a century ago, here.

(via The Atlantic)

Source: The Atlantic

Coral: Rekindling Venus

(For World Oceans Day)

Coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, but support 25% of marine life. Our changing climate puts their very existence in question, threatening to leave bleached skeletons where an ecosystem once stood. Artist Lynette Wallworth has assembled a planetarium work called Coral: Rekindling Venus to draw attention to the beauty we stand to lose.

The title is an allusion to the worldwide collaboration seen in measuring the Transit of Venus in the 18th century (and the film premiered on the 5th, along with this year’s Transit). We need the same global cooperation today to save our reefs. See where it’s playing here, and find out more about the project here.

(via CultureLab)

Source: newscientist.com

2012 Venus Transit SUUUUUUUUUPER-POST! Unless you happen to be Moses or Rip Van Winkle, chances are that June 5-6 (that’s this week, folks) will play host a once-in-a-lifetime event: The transit of Venus in front of the Sun. This rare passage of Venus across the solar disk won’t happen again until December 2117, at which point we will all be extremely deceased, barring scientific miracles. This rare event was hugely important for early astronomers, as it allowed the first accurate measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, as well as the size of Venus itself. Today, it’s more of an event to excite the amateur astronomer in all of us, but still worth checking out.  First, your obligatory “Venus Transit GIF”: Here’s everything you need to know and more: Who can see it, and when? Check out this map of when and where the transit will be visible. City-by-city (Universal, not local) times listed for the U.S. and international cities. Or use this calculator. Or download this app to take part in a global crowdsourced experiment on solar system measurements. The olde dayse: How a 20-year-old named Jeremiah Horrocks corrected Kepler’s math and recorded the first transit data (and the image above) in 1639, inspiring Edmund Halley and James Cook to launch global science expeditions during the next transit. How can you watch it? Without a telescope, the ol’ pinhole camera tricks probably won’t give a very good image since Venus is so small compared to the Sun. Here’s where you can watch it online, and here’s a directory of local astronomy clubs that might be holding viewing events (if they are worth their salt). Take part in a global Venus Transit Twitter experiment to update measurements from around the world and see how accurate the distances are. How the Hubble telescope will use the Moon as a mirror to view the transit. A series on how Americans raced the Soviet Union to explore Venus and what we learned about this 1000˚F planet with a carbon dioxide atmosphere with almost a hundred times more pressure than Earth. If you must, here’s a guide to solar photography with a digital camera. I can’t be responsible for you ruining your toys, though. And please don’t look at the sun, even through a camera. Like ever. Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event! (image adapted from the drawing of Jeremiah Horrocks, via Jennifer Ouellette)
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2012 Venus Transit SUUUUUUUUUPER-POST!

Unless you happen to be Moses or Rip Van Winkle, chances are that June 5-6 (that’s this week, folks) will play host a once-in-a-lifetime event: The transit of Venus in front of the Sun. This rare passage of Venus across the solar disk won’t happen again until December 2117, at which point we will all be extremely deceased, barring scientific miracles.

This rare event was hugely important for early astronomers, as it allowed the first accurate measurements of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, as well as the size of Venus itself. Today, it’s more of an event to excite the amateur astronomer in all of us, but still worth checking out. 

First, your obligatory “Venus Transit GIF”:

Here’s everything you need to know and more:

Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime event!

(image adapted from the drawing of Jeremiah Horrocks, via Jennifer Ouellette)

alchymista: Illustrated here is a geologic map of Venus’s northern hemisphere, based off radar data from the Venera 15 and 16 orbiters, Pioneer Venus orbiter, and Earth-based radar telescopes. The colors indicate various features on the surface, such as plains in yellow and light green; mountains in purple, green and blue; and volcanoes in light red and pink. (View More Planetary Maps at the Telegraph) If you can handle the temperatures hot enough to melt lead and the caustic acid atmosphere, Venus really does look like a nice place to visit and sightsee.
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alchymista:

Illustrated here is a geologic map of Venus’s northern hemisphere, based off radar data from the Venera 15 and 16 orbiters, Pioneer Venus orbiter, and Earth-based radar telescopes. The colors indicate various features on the surface, such as plains in yellow and light green; mountains in purple, green and blue; and volcanoes in light red and pink. (View More Planetary Maps at the Telegraph)

If you can handle the temperatures hot enough to melt lead and the caustic acid atmosphere, Venus really does look like a nice place to visit and sightsee.

Skywatcher Photos: Have You Seen Jupiter and Venus Meet Up This Week? Tonight, March 13, Venus and Jupiter reach conjunction. Over the horizon in the west, they will be a mere 3 degrees apart. Like two distant Tatooine suns that are actually planets and therefore not really like suns at all, almost on top of each other. Go outside and experience it tonight! Bonus: EarthSky tells you why Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky. (↬ Space.com, top image by Shawn Malone, Venus and Jupiter over Lake Superior, Michigan)
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Skywatcher Photos: Have You Seen Jupiter and Venus Meet Up This Week?

Tonight, March 13, Venus and Jupiter reach conjunction. Over the horizon in the west, they will be a mere 3 degrees apart. Like two distant Tatooine suns that are actually planets and therefore not really like suns at all, almost on top of each other.

Go outside and experience it tonight!

Bonus: EarthSky tells you why Venus is the brightest planet in the night sky.

(↬ Space.com, top image by Shawn Malone, Venus and Jupiter over Lake Superior, Michigan)

Source: space.com

Scientists Discover Ozone Layer On Venus Ozone? Yeah, we’ve got that too. Our ozone layer protects us from harmful space radiation. I wonder what the Venutians use theirs for? “Computer models show that the ozone on Venus forms when sunlight breaks up carbon dioxide molecules, which releases oxygen atoms. Winds in the atmosphere of Venus sweep these atoms around to the night side of the planet, where they can combine to form two-atom oxygen molecules, as well as three-atom ozone molecules.” (via Space.com)
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Scientists Discover Ozone Layer On Venus

Ozone? Yeah, we’ve got that too. Our ozone layer protects us from harmful space radiation. I wonder what the Venutians use theirs for?

“Computer models show that the ozone on Venus forms when sunlight breaks up carbon dioxide molecules, which releases oxygen atoms. Winds in the atmosphere of Venus sweep these atoms around to the night side of the planet, where they can combine to form two-atom oxygen molecules, as well as three-atom ozone molecules.”

(via Space.com)

Source: space.com