Posted on 12/27/2020 8:23:37 PM PST by BenLurkin
The joint U.S.-European Solar Orbiter spacecraft had an appointment with Venus this morning (Dec. 27), the first in a series of planetary flybys to hone the probe's orbit on its journey to the sun.
Solar Orbiter reached its closest approach to Venus at 7:39 a.m. EST (1239 GMT), when the spacecraft was about 4,700 miles (7,500 kilometers) from the top of the planet's cloud tops. The probe, a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in February, bound to spend seven years studying our sun. But to get as close to our star as scientists want to, the spacecraft needs to make some loops, starting with today's flyby of Venus. And if you're flying a spacecraft past a planet anyway, you may as well try to get a little data out of the adventure.
But while scientists are particularly excited for the detailed views of the sun's poles that Solar Orbiter will eventually provide, the spacecraft also carries a suite of instruments that focus on the immediate environment, and for these, direction isn't an issue.
During today's flyby, scientists gathered data using the spacecraft's magnetometer, radio and plasma waves instrument and some of the sensors on the energetic particle detector. Given those instruments and Solar Orbiter's distance from Venus, the observations will have a limited impact on science.
Unlike Earth, Venus doesn't have a magnetic field, so the solar wind interacts directly with the planet instead of with that field.
And because today's maneuver marks Solar Orbiter's first swing past Venus, the team wasn't sure what to expect scientifically from the flyby. The mission team was in communication with the spacecraft during the flyby, but it will be a few days before scientists can dig into the data the instruments gather during the operation, according to ESA.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Just wait until the Solar Orbiter flies into Uranus.
If it takes pictures, it will save you money on a colonoscopy.
YES there always has to be one immature buffoon who can’t resist making a 3rd grade joke every time a planet is mentioned. A real jackass.
And I’m just the guy for the job!!
Unlike Earth, Venus doesn’t have a magnetic field,
is that because it’s a rock and doesn’t have a liquid core?
Venusians: “What is this guy up to?”
(insert any pics of “Abbot and Costello go to Mars...)
But despite the planets' similarities, the magnetic field of Venus is far weaker than on Earth's. The reasons for that may have to do with the core. Part of it could simply have to do with motion. The planet spins very slowly — once every 243 Earth days — and the core may not spin fast enough to create a magnetic field the way the core of Earth and other planets do. The core may also be completely solid, or may not even exist at all. Taking readings on the interior of another planet is a significant challenge.
Earth’s core has a lot more metal, some from the other planet that hit it, churning the core and making the moon from lighter material kicked off. Venus has less temperature gradient to fuel convection. And earth spins a lot faster. Moving magnets generate more current.
Captain Beefheart!
The weather forecast for Venus today is cloudy and warm.
Hello, Venus! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus
Mari Blanchard rules Venus!
Chili today. Hot tamale.
Oh wait. That’s the forecast from Mazatlán.
I just looked her up. She was definitely, Not Guilty! Even though she could have been my Grandmother.
Lol!
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