The first images of the surface of Venus in visible light

The Parker Solar Probe has taken the first ever photos of the surface of Venus in visible light, NASA's space agency has announced. The second planet from the Sun is usually densely covered by a dense atmosphere, making it much harder to study.

The spacecraft succeeded in photographing the night side of Venus using a wide-angle imager (WISPR) at wavelengths accessible to the human eye. The first of the images was taken by the Parker Solar Probe back in July 2020 during its third flyby of Venus to get closer to the Sun. When the scientists decided to analyse the structure of the Venusian clouds, they were amazed that they were able to see the entire night side of the planet. WISPR recorded a faint glow emanating from the surface, caused by an unusually high temperature. Even on the night side, it is about 460 degrees Celsius.

The Parker Solar Probe is designed to study the Sun. It was possible to obtain such unique images of Venus completely by accident, due to a special gravitational manoeuvre to redirect the spacecraft. Nevertheless, the new data will allow astrophysicists to study the formation of the planet, so similar to Earth, but turned into a poisonous lifeless world.

Note that the Parker Solar Probe has set several records, becoming the fastest man-made object and the first spacecraft to 'touch' the Sun.