Charles Darwin once referred to the Venus flytrap as “one of the most wonderful plants in the world.” But despite the plant’s notoriety, its closing mechanism remains a mystery 250 years after its discovery.
Tag Archives: Venus
The Venus Transit and Hunting For Alien Worlds
Posted by Gsurface
on June 9, 2012
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astroengine writes “Forget simply detecting a slight ‘dip’ in brightness as an exoplanet transits in front of its star; soon we’ll be able to image the event. What’s more, by doing this we’ll see that exoplanetary transits look exactly like the historic Venus transit that wowed the world on Tuesday. This is according to astronomer Gerard van Belle, of Lowell Observatory near Flagstaff, Ariz., who hopes to use an interferometer to carry out the mind-blowing goal of capturing the silhouettes of exoplanets drifting in front of distant stars. But that’s not all: this whole effort may help us track down the first bona fide Earth-like alien world.”
In case you missed it, NASA posted a bunch of great footage and pictures of the Venus transit, as did Boston.com’s The Big Picture. Phil Plait pointed out a cool shot from Thierry Legault of a transit during a transit.
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The Venus transit of a lifetime
Posted by Gsurface
on June 6, 2012
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In a spectacular once-in-a-lifetime celestial event, the world watched as Venus passed by the sun.Crave collects some unique and stunning shots of the rare occurrence.
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CNET News
Astrologers over the Moon for transit of Venus
Posted by Gsurface
on June 5, 2012
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Transit of Venus live video feeds made public
Posted by Gsurface
on June 5, 2012
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Tonight the planets will align at just the right degree and the transit of Venue will be available for your eyes to see without effort. This event generally has retina-burning qualities to it, but this year NASA and the CCSSC have live-feed video going on so that not only will you ruin your eyes, you’ll
Transit of Venus: what Earth looks like from Venus during rare sky show
Posted by Gsurface
on June 5, 2012
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There is no question that countless numbers of people will be watching the transit of Venus on Tuesday; a very striking celestial phenomenon that has been seen only once in the last 129 years and won't happen again until December in the year 2117. But as we prepare to watch the planet cross the face of the sun from our Earthly vantage point, have you ever wondered what the view would be like if we were on Venus?
Quest To Measure the Venus Transit “Aureole Effect”
Posted by Gsurface
on June 5, 2012
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astroengine writes “On Tuesday, Venus will race across the sun — the last Venus transit until 2117 — so the world’s astronomers are primed to view this enigmatic event. But it’s not just for the historical significance of the celestial phenomenon; real science will also be done. Just before the transit begins, as Venus sinks into the Sun’s limb (an event known as “ingress”), the atmosphere of the planet is expected to display a crescent glow known as an “aureole.” For as long as transits have been recorded, the Venus aureole has been observed. They are caused by sunlight being refracted through the atmosphere. Interestingly, the aureole is not uniform — often a bright spot appears around the planet’s poles. This enhancement in brightness is caused by a variation in atmospheric temperature in the polar mesosphere. When detected, astronomers have the great opportunity to gauge the temperature in the Venusian upper atmosphere, comparing their results with atmospheric models and in-situ measurements made by the ESA Venus Express spacecraft currently in orbit around the planet.”
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Tuesday is your last chance to watch transit of Venus
Posted by Gsurface
on June 5, 2012
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Rare transit of Venus occurs June 5: How to watch online
Posted by Gsurface
on June 2, 2012
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Venus ‘Transit of Sun’ is next amazing sky sight
Posted by Gsurface
on May 28, 2012
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Venus To Transit the Sun In June, Not Again Until 2117
Posted by Gsurface
on May 2, 2012
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revealingheart writes with this quote from ScienceDaily:
“On 5 and 6 June this year, millions of people around the world will be able to see Venus pass across the face of the Sun in what will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It will take Venus about six hours to complete its transit, appearing as a small black dot on the Sun’s surface, in an event that will not happen again until 2117. …Transits of Venus occur only on the very rare occasions when Venus and Earth are in a line with the Sun. At other times Venus passes below or above the Sun because the two orbits are at a slight angle to each other. Transits occur in pairs separated by eight years, with the gap between pairs of transits alternating between 105.5 and 121.5 years — the last transit was in 2004.”
You can check this chart to see whether it’ll be visible at your location, and when you should look. You’ll need a safe way to watch unless you are Vulcan. And yes, there’s even a phone app to help you out.
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Snoozing Pilot Mistakes Venus For Aircraft; Panic, Injuries Ensue
Posted by Gsurface
on April 18, 2012
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Cazekiel writes “In January 2011, an Air Canada Boeing 767 carrying 95 passengers and eight crew members was on route to Zurich from Toronto when its First Officer, fatigued and disoriented from a long nap he’d taken, panicked in seeing what he believed to be a U.S. cargo plane on a collision course with his aircraft. The panicking F.O. pushed forward on the control column to make a rapid descent. Only, it wasn’t an aircraft he’d been looking at, but Venus. According to the article: ‘The airliner dropped about 400 feet before the captain pulled back on the control column. Fourteen passengers and two crew were hurt, and seven needed hospital treatment. None were wearing seat belts, even though the seat-belt sign was on.’ The only danger in this situation had been the F.O. napping for 75 minutes instead of the maximum 40, as the disorientation and confusion stemming from deeper sleep was the culprit in this mix-up. However, the Air Canada Pilots Association, ‘has long pressured authorities to take the stresses of night flying into account when setting the maximum hours a pilot can work,’ taking into account that North Atlantic night-flights are hardest on an already-fatigued pilot.”
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Pilot mistakes Venus for plane, sends own plane into dive
Posted by Gsurface
on April 17, 2012
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A disoriented Air Canada pilot flying from Toronto to Zurich wakes up from a nap and finds the wrong reason to send the plane plummeting.
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CNET News
Revealed: Sounds of Mars, Venus and other planets
Posted by Gsurface
on April 4, 2012
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Skywatching treat: Venus and Jupiter dance together this week
Posted by Gsurface
on March 12, 2012
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Raging solar storm ‘blinds’ Venus spacecraft
Posted by Gsurface
on March 9, 2012
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Rare venus flytraps face survival threat from poachers
Posted by Gsurface
on January 26, 2012
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Russian scientist claims ‘signs of life’ on barren, boiling Venus
Posted by Gsurface
on January 23, 2012
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Russian Scientist Claims Signs of Life Spotted On Venus
Posted by Gsurface
on January 23, 2012
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flergum writes “Leonid Ksanfomaliti, an astronomer based at the Space Research Institute of Russia’s Academy of Sciences, analyzed photographs taken by a Russian landing probe during 1982 and claims to have found signs of life. Ksanfomaliti says the Russian photographs depict objects resembling a ‘disk,’ a ‘black flap’ and a ‘scorpion.’”
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