Reworked images reveal hot Venus

BBC ^ | 1-13-03 | Dr David Whitehouse

[Central Scrutiniser]

Reworked images reveal hot Venus

By Dr David Whitehouse

Mars it is not: Reprocessed Venus image

As the world looks at Mars, an American scientist has produced the best images ever obtained from the surface of a rather different planet - Venus.

The second planet from the Sun is blanketed with a thick layer of cloud.

Computer researcher Don Mitchell used original digital data from two Soviet Venera probes that landed in 1975.

His reprocessed and recalibrated images provide a much clearer view of the Venusian surface which is hotter even than the inside of a household oven.

Original digital data

Between 1975 and 1981 Soviet probes landed on Venus 10 times.

Venera 9 survived to send back pictures

All the Venera craft survived the landing and four of them sent back images of the inhospitable surface, where the temperature is 490 deg Celsius and the pressure is 90 times that on Earth.

The cameras that looked out on to this baking world were, for their time, remarkable pieces of technology. They were protected by high-pressure windows made of quartz one centimetre thick.

But they did obtain the first view of what was a rock-strewn surface with soil, slabs and boulders.

For years, scientists have paid little attention to the pictures. Indeed, the images were usually only available as low-quality photographs in books.

Venera 9's view has been reprocessed to make it clearer As part of a study of the Soviet exploration of Venus, Don Mitchell obtained the original digital data from the first probes that touched down, Veneras 9 and 10.

"In a collection of old Russian data I found a file that contained the original 6-bit per pixel Venera 9 and 10 digital images," he told BBC News Online.

He used up-to-date digital processing techniques on the raw data from those spacecraft, as well as from subsequent Veneras.

"I took the raw data and carried out processes such as sharpening, recalibrating and compensating for blurring," he said.

The results are a dramatic improvement on the images previously released from Veneras 9 and 10.

Don Mitchell is now turning his attention to the data returned by subsequent Venera probes.

He has started processing data from Venera 13, which are of twice the resolution of Veneras 9 and 10, and in colour. He believes they can also be improved.

Reprocessed images copyright Don Mitchell

[Paleo Conservative]

US doesn't have a single Venus mission planned or even in the proposal stage.

Clinton should go there. Tell him Venus is a hot chick.

[Paleo Conservative]

Here's another BBC story

Venus has 'heavy metal mountains'

[Fester Chugabrew]

"Pretty flat . . . Branson, MO."

Dolly Parton . . . Branson, MO.

Something does not compute here. Oh yeah. The Venus theme. Never mind.

[Nateman]

A carbon dioxide atomosphere, high temperatures and pressure. I bet diamonds are much more common on Venus than on earth.

[TYVets]

You can have Venus, I will take Branson and Dolly anyday.

[Kevin Curry]

I'd still prefer it to Branson, MO

Branson MO would prefer that you roast in sulfuric acid too, I'm sure.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Slow night eh Kevvie? No poo on Venus, must bore you.

[JSteff]

"What did they hope to achieve visiting a totally inhospitable planet 10 times? No wonder they lost the cold war.

Did they want to invade it, move to it, use it for a new gulag? What?

[JSteff]

Resources better used somewhere else. After we own the rest of the solar system we can check it out at our leisure.

[Central Scrutiniser]

They sent several craft to Mars as well, only one transmitted from the surface, but malfunctioned in about one minute. They did a few moon landers, including one that landed and returned soil to earth. But, they did do a few smart things, they developed very reliable manned rocket, as well as a great heavy lift rocket the Energiya. And they were smart enough to kill the Buran, the Shuttle that they didn't need.

[Pappy Smear]

Branson MO is like Las Vegas, if it was run by Ned Flanders.

[Lancey Howard]

Cool stuff bump!

[gcruse]

bttt

[SunkenCiv]

Perhaps Al Gore's global warming speech would make sense on Venus. -- ValerieUSA

Venus emits 40x more light than it receives from the Sun, so, yeah, Gore's "greenhouse effect" demagoguery would work just fine. In fact, it was first applied to Venus by Carl Sagan, another partisan demagogue.

Here's a snip of something I posted to the SCF:

Venus in transit refers to the partial eclipse of the Sun by the planet Venus as seen from Earth. Because the orbit of Venus is inclined in comparison with that of the Earth, the 8 year resonance (it's about a day off) between the two planets means that eclipse cycles are about 122 years long, and usually (at least in our lifetimes) there are two separated by eight years -- then nothing more than a century.

The dustjacket has changed (probably for positioning in the market), but it's the same book. It went fast. I read the whole thing in no time, and mostly while soaking in the tub. Basically, each chapter is an anecdote from the more than three centuries of astronomical interest in these transits.

"On our departure we left two iron pillars, on which our apparatus for photographing the sun was mounted, firmly imbedded in the ground, as we had used them. Whether they will remain there until the transit of 2004, I do not know, but cannot help entertaining a sentimental wish that, when the time of that transit arrives, the phenomenon will be observed from the same station, and the pillars be found in such a condition that they can again be used." -- astronomer Simon Newcomb, regarding the 1874 transit of Venus, quoted on p 121

The last transit took place in 1882. The next one will take place in 2012. In June of 2004 the transit observations will begin in Asia, and may be visible in western Alaska. The end of the transit will take place almost six hours later when it's high noon in Tunisia. Much of the second half of the transit will be visible in the eastern United States (weather permitting), as far west as Chicago, and (Ras'...) throughout the Florida peninsula.

Maor includes precautions for viewing on pp 163-164, and also gives an eclipse webpage (see the link in the book listing below). Sunglasses / smoked glass isn't enough! Maor sez "a safe filter is a #14 welder's glass, available at hardware stores." Using a camera obscura or so-called pinhole camera is the safest method, and familiar to all those whose dads used empty Charmin boxes and white meat paper to show the kids the solar eclipse in 1959.

Excellent book, and a quick read. Dunno how the Amazon reviews are, but there may be a good one up pretty soon now. :') Thanks go to the family member who gave this book to me for Christmas.

June 8, 2004: Venus in Transit by Eli Maor paperback website

[DoctorMichael]

Cool!

Thanks.

[SunkenCiv]

A sample return mission and/or sample study mission, for the Venusian atmosphere rather than the surface, has been advocated for a while, but the Space Shuttle and International Space Station eats the NASA budget. The probe to Pluto has been off-again, on-again due to budget problems, and has been delayed so long now, there's probably no point as the atmosphere will freeze soon.

[ValerieUSA]

Why can't you be like everyone else and review John Gray's Venus and Mars book? *L*
Don't ever change.
*smooch*

[SunkenCiv]

ooh. Missed that one somehow...

[theFIRMbss]

>Reworked images reveal hot Venus

[SunkenCiv]

just bumping the topic, not a ping list; here's a small selection of other FR topics on astro/science:

Ammonia on Mars could mean life

Everyday Astronaut

Bush's Moon Mission Called Bold, Wasteful

Ex-astronaut Aldrin accused of punching man

Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped

Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Spirit Lands: January 3, 2004 about 8:35 pm PST

Moon Base Has Certain Advantages

Moon Viewed as Policy Battleground

NASA to Announce 'Significant Findings' of Water on Mars Tuesday!

On to the Moon, and to Mars, via von Braun

Professor Says Mayan Calendar Does Not Portend Earth's Doom (2012AD)

Science Wars: We need to free science from the Commissars who now control it.

Space Vision Misunderestimated

Next SpaceShipOne Flights Will Be for Ansari X Prize

NOT A PING LIST, merely posted to: theFIRMbss; blackdog; Central Scrutiniser; Chi-townChief; DoctorMichael; Fester Chugabrew; Fred Hayek; gcruse; Izzy Dunne; John H K; JSteff; Kevin Curry; Lancey Howard; Mark; Monty22; martin_fierro; Nateman; NormsRevenge; nightdriver; Paleo Conservative; Pappy Smear; RightWhale; Snickersnee; TYVets; ValerieUSA