Updated February 27th, 2021 at 20:00 IST

NASA shares never seen before side of Venus with nightglow, see stunning pic

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has captured a image of Venus. Parker Solar Probe whips by Venus a total of seven times over the course of its 7 year mission.

Reported by: Apoorva Kaul
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NASA's Parker Solar Probe has captured a stunning image of Venus. The NASA Sun and Space has posted the picture of Venus on its Twitter account. According to the website of NASA, Solar Probe’s focus is on the Sun, but Venus plays a critical role in the mission. The spacecraft whips by Venus a total of seven times throughout its seven-year mission.

Venus captured by Parker Solar Probe

The image taken by Parker Solar Probe’s Wide-field Imager (WISPR) came during its third Venus flyby in July 2020, and scientists were shocked. As per the website of NASA, Parker Solar Probe or WISPR, captured a stunning image of the planet’s nightside from 7,693 miles away. WISPR saw a bright rim around the edge of the planet, which could be nightglow. According to website of NASA, light emitted by oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere that recombine into molecules in the nightside." 

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There is also a noticeably dark feature in the centre of the image. It's known as Aphrodite Terra, which is the largest highland region on Venus, wrote the website of NASA. This picture of Venus has caught the attention of netizens. Javier Peralta, a planetary scientist from the Akatsuki team, who first suggested a Parker Solar Probe campaign with Akatsuki, which has been in orbiting Venus since 2015 has said, “We are really looking forward to these new images.”

Netizens stunned by the image

One user wrote, "Spectacular". "What is the temperature on Venus? Is it a cold/ice planet?", wrote another person. Another person commented, "I love how we are able to see such detailed photos of planets in our solar system so far away, for free." Another individual commented, "Amazing, We need a HiRISE (or two) in orbit around every planet in the solar system." "How far from the surface?", wrote another individual. "What an amazing image", wrote another user.

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NASA
NASA
NASA

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Published February 27th, 2021 at 20:03 IST