Around three years ago, Venus’s path was brought right to the point in the middle of the Earth and Sun. This was the first time in 115 years. This led to a rare chance to take unique photographs of the planet and study its atmosphere as well as how the sun’s solar radiation affects it. This is the planet’s time to shine as it shows us brand new, never-before-seen information.
Venus was backlit so extraordinarily well by Sol that pictures could be taken of it with a clarity unrivaled by any before. These new pictures will help researchers and scientists study the planet, its atmosphere, and how various elements of the planet react and change to the sunlight.
It’s Time to Shine for NASA & JAXA
The photographs taken were then examined by NASA as well as the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The images will give an insight into finer details of the planet which have been unknown to scientists as of yet. This information’s is useful to any future missions to Venus as well as identifying similar planets as they cross in front of distant stars.
Knowing the Data
By analyzing and comparing the atmosphere especially, scientists would be able to compare Venus to other, more distant planets and see if they are similar. If they are, it would be easier to classify and catalogue the other planets, and, assuming the desire for space travel grows, officials would know how to go about visiting the planet in the distant future. Upon the discovery and confirmation of the types of planets, their time to shine will only be shadowed by the spacecraft that is landing on their surface.
Different elements could have an adverse or positive effect on entering an atmosphere, and knowing what a planet is comprised of will make travel as well as study significantly easier.
The Future of Space
This is opening up the solar system to scientists. They will have a better insight into how the universe works and gain an even better understanding of the differences and similarities between planets of varying sizes, atmospheres, and distances from each other. It is a possibility that mankind will venture out into the stars one day, and the research that scientists are doing now is the stepping stone for that eventual exploration to be possible. And when that time comes, humanity will have its time to shine not just in the light of Sol, but in the light of countless other suns.
