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Paul Byrne

Feb 10 • 6 tweets • 2 min read

This. Is. Amazing.

NASA's #ParkerSolarProbe was able to image the surface of #Venus from space in a way we didn't think possible before!

Here, we can see the Aphrodite Terra highland *glowing* through the clouds (left), exactly where radar data tell us it should be (right)!

Venus' thick cloud layer obscures the surface from space at visible wavelengths—but there are some "windows" at near-infrared wavelengths where cameras can see through to the surface.

PSP took these images at a wavelength not thought to be able to penetrate the clouds before.

This matters because, unlike Mars, Mercury, the Moon, etc, we can't easily see the Venus surface—we have to use radar.

But if we can "see" the surface in the near infrared, we can start to learn things about what it's made of. And thus we can learn new things about Venus.

The new VERITAS and EnVision missions will have similar camera systems, which will use multiple NIR wavelengths to see the surface.

The atmosphere "scatters" light, so these images will be very low resolution.

But at a global scale, they'll be *invaluable*.

And, besides, Parker Solar Probe is a mission to investigate the *Sun*, so getting *photos of the surface of Venus* OPPORTUNISTICALLY is just another example of how amazing—and fortuitous—spacecraft exploration can be!

Images: NASA/APL/NRL (left), Magellan Team/JPL/USGS (right)

Postscript:

At some point, I'll do a thread about Aphrodite Terra, how weird it is, and why we need to understand what it's made of.

But now I have to make tomorrow morning's lecture...

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More from @ThePlanetaryGuy

Paul Byrne

@ThePlanetaryGuy

Jan 16

A quick 🧵 about the *size* of the #HungaTonga eruption:

Volcanic eruptions are generally assigned a VEI—Volcanic Explosivity Index—value.

This scale is a general indicator of the explosive character of an eruptive event.

1/

This scale, described by Christopher Newhall and Stephen Self in a 1982 paper, is a general indicator of the explosive character of an eruptive event, and reflects the interplay of an eruption's magnitude, intensity, and energy release rate.

2/

The VEI rating scale employs a set of criteria including ejecta volume, style of eruption, plume height, and injection of gases into the troposphere and stratosphere.

There's no question that the #Tongaeruption was huge—it absolutely was.

3/

Read 4 tweets

Paul Byrne

@ThePlanetaryGuy

Aug 28, 2021

I need you to know I'm being completely serious here.

We have no idea what's inside Uranus.

We really don't have a clue what's inside this or there other "ice giant", Neptune.

It's possible that there's a rocky interior, perhaps at least as large as Earth. There might be a water–ammonia ocean above that rocky centre, topped with a thick atmosphere.

But we don't know.

Uranus and Neptune are the outer Solar System's Venus -- fascinating, largely unexplained, but to be honest pretty much ignored in the modern era of planetary exploration.

I am *so* happy we're going back to Venus.

But we can't forget the Ice Giants.

Read 8 tweets

Paul Byrne

@ThePlanetaryGuy

Aug 26, 2021

The Solar System is *full* of incredible and fascinating worlds!

Mercury.
Venus.
Earth.
The Moon.
Jupiter.
Saturn.
Uranus and Neptune.
Ceres, Vesta, and the other main asteroid belt bodies.
The myriad other minor bodies scattered across the System.

Every one of them amazing! 🥰

People are pointing out that I forgot somewhere important!

Somewhere that fascinates everyone, that we need to explore more, that holds a special place in our heart.

I am so sorry, Pluto!

Did I miss any other interesting places?!

Let's add Charon, Eris, Makemake, Titan, Triton, Haumea, Io, Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, Dione, Rhea, Tethys, Iapetus, Umbrial, Ariel, Titania, Oberon, Miranda, oh my!

Read 6 tweets

Paul Byrne

@ThePlanetaryGuy

Jun 23, 2021

@PNASNews

We have a new paper out in @PNASNews.

We found stuff that moved on #Venus.

Let's talk about it.

A 🧵

Most rocky worlds are what we call "one-plate planets": they have a single, continuous outer shell that we call the lithosphere.

Mercury (shown here), Mars, the Moon, Io... all one-plate planets.

(2/n)

We've long known that Venus is a lot more complex than those other, smaller worlds—but how hasn't exactly been clear.

It doesn't have plate tectonics like Earth. Is it a single shell? Did it *ever* have a mobile surface? What drove that motion?

That's where we come in.

(3/n)

Read 20 tweets

Paul Byrne

@ThePlanetaryGuy

Jun 4, 2021

@NASA

Psst.

Interested in learning more about #Venus—and why @NASA's decision to go back there with the #VERITAS and #DAVINCI+ missions is such a big flippin' deal?

Read on.

(a 🧵 on comparative planetology)

@efrankplanetary

It all comes down to one simple question:

Why is Earth's sibling not its twin?

(Credit to @efrankplanetary for that line.)

Venus and Earth are the same(ish) size, age, and composition (in roughly the ~same proportions), orbiting the same star.

So, uh... what's going on?

Here's where we come to our two different stories for Venus—and why figuring out which one is correct is *critical* to understanding not only our own world, but Earth-size worlds everywhere.

Scenario 1: Venus was *always* fucked.

Read 20 tweets