During a visit to Venus, NASA’s Parker’s Solar probe detected a natural radio signal.
NASA’s Parker Solar probe has picked up radio signals on Venus. This is the first direct measurement of Venus’s atmosphere in nearly 30 years, and it is quite different from Venus in the past. A study published May 3 confirms that Venus’ upper atmosphere undergoes puzzling changes during a solar cycle, the Sun’s 11-year cycle of activity. This marks the latest clue to why Venus and Earth are so different. Born from similar processes, Earth and Venus are twins (both rocky, similar in size and structure), but the development paths of these two planets have been different since then. born. Venus lacks a magnetic field, and its surface heats up to a temperature hot enough to melt lead, and the spacecraft only lasts a few hours there. Earth-like planets with life? Studying Venus helps scientists understand how the twins evolved and whether Earth-like planets have life. Video enhancement converts the data from Parker Solar’s FIELDS instrument into audio. FIELDS detected a natural, low-frequency radio emission as it passed through Venus’s atmosphere. This helps scientists calculate the density of the planet’s electrically charged upper atmosphere, known as the ionosphere. In just seven minutes when the Parker Solar Probe was closest to Venus – FIELDS detected a natural, low-frequency radio signal. Like Earth, Venus has a layer of electrically charged gas at the upper edge of its atmosphere, called the ionosphere. This sea of charged gas or plasma naturally emits radio waves that can be detected by instruments such as FIELDS. When Collinson and his team identified the signal, they realized the Parker Solar Probe had passed through the upper atmosphere of Venus. The researchers used this radio emission to calculate the density of the ionosphere over which the Parker Solar probe flew. Researchers last obtained direct measurements of Venus’ ionosphere from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter in 1992. At that time, the Sun was near the maximum of the solar cycle. In the years that followed, data from ground-based telescopes showed that great changes were taking place as the Sun entered its quiescent phase, i.e. minimum. While much of the atmosphere remains the same, the ionosphere – at the top, where gases can escape into space – is much thinner during the sun’s minimum. Observations from the recent flight of the Parker Solar probe, which occurred six months after the sun’s last minimum, show that Venus’ ionosphere is much thinner than previous measurements made. during the solar maximum. “When multiple missions confirm the same results, it gives you a lot of fun,” said Robin Ramstad, study co-author and postdoctoral researcher at the US Space and Atmospheric Laboratory. believe that thinning is real.” Understanding why Venus’ ionosphere is so thin near the Sun’s minimum is part of unraveling how Venus reacts to the Sun. This will help researchers determine how Venus, once very Earth-like, became the toxic atmosphere world it is today. For example, the ionosphere of Venus is prone to leakage, which means the escape of energized gases into space. Collecting data on this and other changes in the ionosphere is key to understanding how Venus’s atmosphere has evolved over time. Venus researchers think that data collected from the Parker Solar probe will give them a new perspective on a mysterious planet like Venus, our twin sister to Earth.
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