The planets Uranus and Neptune have a lot in common, yet they’re different colors. Why? Astronomers may now have the clues. Both planets have a layer of concentrated haze, but new research suggests Uranus (first image) has a thicker layer, "whitening" its appearance more than Neptune’s. If there were no haze in the atmospheres of Neptune and Uranus, both would appear almost equally blue. An international team led by Patrick Irwin, Professor of Planetary Physics at Oxford University, made this conclusion, and developed a model to describe aerosol layers in the atmospheres of Neptune and Uranus. They suspect that methane ice condenses onto the particles in the middle layer of both planets, creating a shower of methane snow. Neptune is more efficient at churning up these particles in its turbulent atmosphere, removing most of the haze.
The above images were taken by our Voyager 2 spacecraft during flybys in 1986 and 1989, respectively. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech #Uranus#Neptune#Planets#Atmosphere#Blue#Haze#Space#Astronomy#NASA
🟡 Meet DAVINCI 🚀(Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging).
The DAVINCI Mission will descend through the dense and layered Venusian atmosphere to the surface of the planet in mid-2031. DAVINCI is the first mission to study Venus using both spacecraft flybys and a descent probe. Principal Investigator Jim Garvin gives an overview of the mission and the probe’s landing site – Alpha Regio.
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#Venus#solarsystem#planets#NASA#space#science#spacescience#mission#rocket#atmosphere#DAVINCI#nasagoddard
And now for something completely different...
During its 26th flight, the Ingenuity #MarsHelicopter—the first powered aircraft to fly on another world—spotted gear used by the Perseverance rover to survive its descent to the Martian surface. We've seen similar sights like this from orbit thanks to the HiRise camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, but this is the first time we've been able to survey the scene up close, and it can teach us a lot about the forces of landing on Mars.
In surveying both the parachute that helped Perseverance land on Mars and the cone-shaped backshell that protected the rover in deep space and during its fiery descent toward the surface of the planet, Ingenuity may provide valuable information that could benefit future landings on Mars.
Many of the 80 high-strength suspension lines connecting the backshell to the parachute are visible and appear intact. Spread out and covered in dust, only about a third of the orange-and-white parachute can be seen, but the canopy shows no signs of damage from the supersonic airflow experienced during its inflation. Look closely to spot the shadow cast by Ingenuity while it took the images.
Several weeks of analysis will be needed before a more final verdict can be issued on whether all of the landing support systems functioned as designed—but the results are sure to help guide the future of Martian landings.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
#NASA#Mars#RedPlanet#Martian#Perseverance#Ingenuity#Rover#SolarSystem#Planets#Parachute#Helicopter
Going through previous @natgeo stories for my next book, so many moments that were overlooked are becoming interesting…Nabataean era tombs, hand-carved 2000 years ago in the Saudi desert. We don’t need to go to another planet to be amazed or overwhelmed. Only need to be thankful and caring to this one we live on.
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#nabatean#tomb#SaudiArabia#night#moonlight#stars#planets from the @natgeo story, The Well of Memory @viiphoto
During a recent Jupiter flyby, NASA's Juno spacecraft glimpsed two other worlds as well: the giant planet’s intriguing moons Io & Europa. (Look closely at the right side of the image.)
Io is the solar system’s most volcanic body, while Europa’s icy surface hides a global ocean of liquid water beneath. Juno will have an opportunity to capture much more detailed observations of Europa – using several scientific instruments – in September 2022, when the spacecraft makes the closest fly-by of the enigmatic moon in decades. The mission will also make close approaches to Io in late 2023 and early 2024.
Learn more about Jupiter, Io, Europa, and the Juno mission at the link in our bio: solarsystem.nasa.gov
📸: This view is a crop of a JunoCam image processed by citizen scientist AndreaLuck.
#NASA#space#science#nature#Jupiter#planets#JunoMission
It's a latte bigger than Earth. ☕️
This picture isn’t from your local coffee shop, it’s from our spacecraft Juno as it passed by Jupiter. Jupiter is well known for its Great Red Spot, but it’s also home to anticyclonic storms, known as white ovals. White oval’s can be storms the size of earth and can generate winds up to 335 miles per hour (539 kilometers per hour) and some storms can reach 60 miles (100 kilometers) tall.
Jupiter is strapped with “belts” of white and red, that wrap around the planet. Traveling both east and west, why these belts are distinct is something mystery to scientists, one possibility is that the ammonia gas in the atmosphere travels up and down in alignment with the planets jet streams.
Juno’s prime mission of measuring and studying Jupiter’s atmosphere and magnetic structure was completed in 2021, but it will continue to measure the planet’s unique structure until at least 2025. This image was color enhanced by citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Sean Doran.
Credit: Enhanced Image by Gerald Eichstädt and Sean Doran (CC BY-NC-SA)/NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)
#NASA#Jupiter#Astrophotography#Juno#Space#JunoCam#MissionJuno#Storm#Clouds#Planets#SolarSystem#Gassy
Channeling Venus: Feminine, Fiery, and Fearless The ancient Romans could easily see seven bright objects in the sky: the Sun, the Moon, and five of the brightest planets—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They named objects after gods, with Venus, the third brightest object after the Sun and Moon, named after the Roman goddess of love. This cloud-swaddled planet boasts surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. While similar to Earth in size, it does a couple things differently. Venus spins backwards, has a day longer than its year, and the tips of its clouds whip around as fast as 224 miles (360 km) per hour. Nevertheless, three new missions are set to explore it: VERITAS, DAVINCI, and @EuropeanSpaceAgency’s EnVision. This newly processed image revisits the original data captured in 1974 by our Mariner 10 spacecraft, with modern image processing software by @NASAJPL engineer Kevin M. Gill. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech #NASA#InternationalWomensDay#Venus#Planets#SolarSystem#Mariner#NASAJPL#ShineBright
Just look up! 🔭 February may be the shortest month of the year – but it's action-packed for stargazers. Find out what’s up for February: With the departure of Saturn and Venus from the night sky over the last few months, Jupiter is the only bright planet left in our twilight skies in February. The giant planet will exit our evening skies by March. In the morning skies, Venus will be at its peak brightest for the year around mid-February. Its highly reflective clouds make it the brightest planet in our solar system. February is the best time to enjoy the nearest large star-forming region in the night-sky – the Orion nebula. You’ll want to use binoculars or a small telescope for this one! On Feb. 26, look for the trio of Venus, Mars, and the crescent Moon in the east before sunrise. Watch for more skywatching tips! Credit: NASA
Cover Image Credit: Bill Dunford Producer: Preston Dyches #Skywatcher#Jupiter # #MoonLovers#Stargazing#Astronomy#Planets#2022#TipsAndTricks#Venus#Space#Sky