On Jan. 9, 1643, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli saw an odd glowing light on the night side of Venus. He called it “The Ashen Light of Venus.” Astronomers have seen it intermittently given that then, while others who have tried to find it have actually not had the ability to discover it. To this day, no one truly understands what causes the Ashen Light.Related: Photos of Venus, the Mysterious Planet Next Door An image taken by Japans Akatsuki spacecraft shows the night side of Venus in infrared (the dark side of the image is the day side of the world, which is too brilliant to study in infrared). (Image credit: JAXA/PLANET-C Project Team) At initially, people wished to associate it to the optical quality of telescopes. Today many believe that the light is associated with lightning storms on Venus. It might likewise be the outcome of solar radiation connecting with the environment comparable to how auroras happen on Earth. Whatever it is, its been a scientific mystery for centuries.Catch up on our entire “On This Day In Space” series on YouTube with this playlist. On This Day in Space Archive! Still not sufficient space? Dont forget to take a look at our Space Image of the Day, and on the weekends our Best Space Photos and Top Space News Stories of the week. Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..
