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In 1972 the Soviet union launched two spacecraft to explore the planet Venus, Venera 8 would become the second spacecraft to land on Venus, while the other spacecraft got stuck in Earth orbit and so was designated Kosmos 482. Now, 50 years later we expect the spacecraft to finally fall back to Earth, and unlike most spacecraft this one is designed to survive atmospheric entry. So it could land as a solid mass and maybe there's hardware that will survive, or more likely it will land in the ocean and sink.... 50 Year Old Venus Spacecraft Is About To Land...

All four of the sun’s giant planets emit more energy than they receive from the sun. Like the sun’s other giant worlds, Uranus (seen in this 1986 photo from the Voyager 2 spacecraft) radiates more energy than the sun gives it, though not nearly as strongly as its massive peers do. JPL/NASA ===================================================================== Uranus emits more energy than it gets from the sun, two new studies report — a discovery that contradicts findings from the venerable Voyager spacecraft. When Voyager 2 sped past Uranus on January 24, 1986, the spacecraft detected no significant excess heat from the planet, making it...

The best chance to see as many planets as possible will be just after sunset on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Four of the planets - Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars - will be visible to the naked eye. Saturn will be harder to see because it will be low in the horizon. You will need a telescope to spot the other two planets - Uranus and Neptune. A good view of the horizon and clear skies will offer the best chance of spotting them all. However, the window to see all seven planets will be very brief. Dr Edward...

In 2009, a ground-breaking study by Genevieve von Petzinger revealed that dots, lines and other geometric signs found in prehistoric European caves may be the precursor to an ancient system of written communication dating back nearly 30,000 years. Von Petzinger, with University of Victoria anthropology professor April Nowell, compiled the markings from 146 different sites in Ice Age France, making it possible to compare the signs on a larger scale than had ever previously been attempted. What made her research ‘new’ was that she was able to use a whole range of modern technology to compare inventories and digital images...

Harrison Butker apparently didn't enjoy watching Serena Williams joke that he wasn't welcome in the world of women's sports. A day after the tennis legend roasted him onstage alongside her sister Venus and "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker issued a statement to NBC News complaining about the joke: "I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics." He added: "Sports are supposed to be the great unifier and at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of...

Size comparison of Venus and Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL/Magellan Venus is only slightly smaller than the Earth, and so has enjoyed billions of years of a warm heart. But for this planet, sometimes called Earth's sister, that heat has betrayed it. That planet is now wrapped in suffocating layers of a poisonous atmosphere made of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. The pressures on the surface reach almost 100 times the air pressure at Earth's sea level. The average temperatures are more than 700°F, more than hot enough to melt lead, while the deepest valleys see records of more than 900°. If...

Explanation: Why is Venus so different from Earth? To help find out, Japan launched the robotic Akatsuki spacecraft which entered orbit around Venus late in 2015 after an unplanned five-year adventure around the inner Solar System. Even though Akatsuki was past its original planned lifetime, the spacecraft and instruments were operating so well that much of its original mission was reinstated. Also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki's instruments investigated unknowns about Earth's sister planet, including whether volcanoes are still active, whether lightning occurs in the dense atmosphere, and why wind speeds greatly exceed the planet's rotation speed. In...

A new analysis of chaos in the solar system reveals how planetary collisions are avoided over billions of years.Earth probably shouldn't exist. That's because the orbits of the inner solar system planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — are chaotic, and models have suggested that these inner planets should have crashed into each other by now. And yet, that hasn't happened. New research published May 3 in the journal Physical Review X(opens in new tab) may finally explain why. Through a deep plunge into the models for planetary motion, the researchers discovered that the motions of the inner...

Despite costing €9 million, the campaign has been slammed by art critics and government officials.For many, Botticelli’s Venus embodies the Renaissance ideal of beauty, but have you ever wondered what that might look like today? Italy’s ministry of tourism has launched a campaign that reimagines the iconic figure as an influencer—and it has been swiftly ridiculed on social media. “Hi there, everybody. My name is Venus,” the ad’s digitally altered protagonist announced on her Instagram. “But that’s something you probably already know. I’m 30, ok maybe just a wee bit more than that… And I am a virtual influencer. What...

Have you seen the “planetary parade” after sunset? It’s getting a lot of media attention, partly because Jupiter is about to sink into the Sun’s glare and ruin it, but you can glimpse some to all of the five planets naked-eye and with binoculars on any night this week. Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars are all visible right after sunset. Get somewhere high with a clear view of the western horizon to watch the sunset. After sunset have a look for Jupiter and Mercury very close to the horizon. You may need binoculars. Above them will be a very...

Indian scientists recently found a scientific method of predicting earthquakes quite accurately. The great quake of Sumatra along Andaman fault line on December 26th, could have been predicted if the world would have taken these scientists seriously. If this theory is true, we are in for many mega earthquakes soon. When two or more planets, moon and earth and sun come in one line, these mega earthquakes happen. The sun influences the rotation of earth. Now imagine you are in a train or bus. If all on a sudden the driver pushes the brake, you tend to move forward...

During the past couple of weeks, skywatchers around the world have been observing the western evening sky soon after sundown, as four naked-eye planets -- Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter - have stretched out in a long line. The line has slowly contracted each night, as the four planets draw closer to each other.Even the Moon got involved, closely passing each of the four planets over a span of five nights in mid-April. Now through the first days of May will likely be the best time to see yet a fifth planet: Mercury. Mercury has actually been visible for the...

A grand celestial reunion is due in Earth’s skies throughout June. Sky-watchers will get a rare chance to see all the major planets in our solar system bunched together—with the moon joining the festivities, too, from June 17 to June 27. This rare alignment includes the five planets easily spotted with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each is bright enough to be seen even in light-polluted city skies, with brilliant Venus being the brightest and Mercury the faintest. Our closest planets will appear to be arranged across the sky in the same order as their distance...

This Sunday, April 17th, Jupiter will move into position closest to the eastern horizon, and almost on top of Venus. A bit south and above will be Mars looking very red, and then Saturn further up and further south. For most people in North America, the ideal time will be to go out and look southeast about 45 minutes before the sun begins to rise. On April 23rd, the Moon will appear in conjunction with the other spheres, appearing to the right and above Saturn, before moving off again by April 29th. In mid-June, due to its rapid orbiting around...

Explanation: It is not a coincidence that planets line up. That's because all of the planets orbit the Sun in (nearly) a single sheet called the plane of the ecliptic. When viewed from inside that plane -- as Earth dwellers are likely to do -- the planets all appear confined to a single band. It is a coincidence, though, when three of the brightest planets all appear in nearly the same direction. Such a coincidence was captured earlier this month. Featured above (right to left), Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter were all imaged together in a line just after sunset, from...

Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars are expected to align March 28.. A spectacular celestial sight is on the horizon and you won't want to miss it. Planets Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars are expected to align in the night sky on March 28. Planetary alignments occur when the orbit of several planets coincide with each other and they appear to be lined up in the sky. Alignments typically only include two or three planets and are fairly brief, making a 5-planet alignment fairly noteworthy. This rare planetary parade will first become visible in the western sky just after...

New analysis of images captured in the early 1990s by NASA's Magellan spacecraft reveals evidence of volcanic activity on Venus, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science. This computer-generated 3D model of Venus’ surface shows the summit of Maat Mons. Image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech ================================================================= Altitude data for the Maat and Ozza Mons region on Venus is shown to the left. At right, are the before and after Magellan observations showing the expanded vent on Maat Mons, with possible new lava flows after a volcanic eruption. Images courtesy of Robert Herrick/UAF ================================================================= A computer-simulated map of Venus...

Explanation: It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived on Earth. Anyone on the planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. Pictured here in 2012, a creative photographer traveled away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to image a near closest approach of the two planets. The bright planets were then separated only by three degrees and his daughter struck a humorous pose. A faint red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus are together again this month...

On March 1 and 2, Jupiter and Venus will appear side by side in the night sky in an event called a conjunction, which is visible without a telescope or binoculars. On Wednesday (March 1) and Thursday (March 2), two bright planets will appear as if they were about to collide in the night sky. Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and Venus, one of the brightest objects in Earth's sky, will come within about half a degree of each other — or roughly one full moon's width apart. For weeks, the two bodies have been inching closer...

Spectacular, beautiful, visible to the naked eye conjunction of planet Venus and Jupiter! The closest approach of Jupiter and Venus will take place on March 1, 2023. In this video I show how this phenomenon looks like one day earlier (February 28, 2023). This conjunction is perfectly visible to the naked eye after sunset (above the western horizon). Jupiter and Venus are the brightest planets of the solar system. It is best to start observing the conjunction about half an hour after sunset.