Friday, April 4, 2008

Venus Express




Venus Express



Credit: ESA (click on image for bigger version)



Venus, the `Morning Star', the second closest planet to the Sun after Mercury and our closest planetary neighbour, has fascinated mankind from the earliest times. Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, it is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon.

Venus Express will continue to look for volcanos on Mars. Scientists believe they may explain the sulphur dioxide that are abundant on the planet.


Facts about Venus Express

"Venus Express is the first mission ever to apply the technique of stellar occultation at Venus. The technique consists of looking at the Sun through the atmospheric limb. By analysing the way the sunlight is absorbed by the atmosphere, one can deduce the characteristics of the atmosphere itself."






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