NASA SOLAR PROBE GRAZES A VENUS MYSTERY ON His Slingshot to the Sun

Solar Probe Parker NASA can be focused on the sun, but that does not mean the space agency scientists will give up on the opportunity to seize the first direct data from Venus atmosphere in almost three decades. The probe is currently swinging through space, using Venus gravity to bring it closer to the sun every time, and in the process getting closer to the surface of the planet.

In fact, on July 11, 2020, the Probe of Solar Parker was “only” 517 miles from the surface of Venus. It made him low enough to graze through the atmosphere of Venus, the first time that the spacecraft had been able to take the area’s direct measurement since the Pioneer Venus Orbiter in 1992.

Initially, scientists were not aware of what new data they had. Need Glyn Collison from the Flight Center for Goddard NASA members in Greenbelt, Maryland – Recognition with all previous Venus mission data – to see what is described as “thin pout” in the data. It is a natural low frequency radio signal in field instruments.

The field consists of a magnetometer trio, and is designed to measure the magnetic field in the sun corona solar. However, for seven minutes near Venus – which happens to coincide with Parker Solar Probe at its closest point to the field of the planet also registered the signal. “Similar wrinkles appear every time a spacecraft pass by Jupiter’s month ionosphere,” NASA explained.

In fact, it is an ionosphere of this planet – a thin layer of electrically charged gas on the edge of the venus atmosphere – detected. Thanks to that, it became possible to confirm the density of ionosphere. Measurements that can be compared to the Pioneer Venus Orbiter findings are almost three decades ago.

In the process, it allows longer mysteries to be explored further. When Pioneer Venus Orbiters took the measurement, the sun was near the peak of the most worsening solar cycle, known as the maximum of the sun. It receded towards the minimum sun during the following years, it seems that Venus’s ionosphere becomes thinner. But scientists only have the Earth-based telescope which with him to observe these changes.

Now, it is clear from the findings of the parker solar probe that ionosphere is indeed thinner. New published papers today document change.

As for why it happened, and why it was important, there were still some uncertainty. One reason Venus is very attractive to the researchers is that in many ways it is a close partner to Earth. Both have the same size and structure, but Venus does not have a magnetic field and the surface temperature is very extreme, the spaceship has lasted a few hours there. Finding out how the magnetic field changes with the solar cycle can help understand how the atmosphere in Venus – and such planets – stripped, and can help better understand other planets that have the potential to be friendly to life.