Venus was in a difficult part of the sky to observe, and the Sun was about to set. The flight coordinators for SOFIA developed and timed the delicate dance of the Venus observations to make sure that there was no threat of SOFIA accidently observing the Sun. When the Sun was down, the pilots turned the airplane so SOFIA could observe Venus.
SOFIA began off the night prior to sunset by opening the upper stiff door– which just recently went through an unique maintenance period– so SOFIA could observe Jupiter to prepare the instrument and telescope for Venus. Using GREATs capability to make numerous synchronised observations, the Venus observations likewise studied hydrogen chloride and conducted the very first search for atomic oxygen in Venus environment.
A false-color image of the sulfurous Venusian cloud cover. Credit: Daimia Bouic/JAXA/ISAS/ DARTS.
SOFIA recently completed a new set of observations of Venus to study the chemical composition of the planets atmosphere. Observing Venus was especially difficult. Venus remained in a difficult part of the sky to observe, and the Sun will set. For safety factors, SOFIA can only unlock to the telescope while the Sun is above the horizon under extremely specific scenarios. Excellent care should be taken to prevent the telescope accidentally observing the Sun and triggering damage to the telescope or airplane. Due to these specific requirements, the flight preparation and coordination for these observations took additional care, discussion, and unique preparations.
The preparation and preparations for observing Venus started more than two months before the flights. The flight team were specifically trained by the telescope engineers on the exact directions that would be safe to fly with the door open prior to the Sun went down. They carefully prepared contingencies and relies on guarantee the telescopes and airplanes safety.
Another difficulty for these pre-sunset observations is timing each occasion in the flight strategy. The precise time the Sun sets is various depending upon your altitude.
The sundown and crescent moon are noticeable as the SOFIA group prepares to observe Venus. Credit: NASA/AFRC, Carla Thomas.
Weather condition and barometric pressure can alter the density of the environment, which in turn affects the atmospheres refractive residential or commercial properties. Refraction is the flexing of light by a medium. A famous example of refraction is a pencil in a glass of water. We understand the pencil is directly, but the water refracts the light, making it appear to drastically bend. The variability of the atmospheres pressure and therefore its ability to refract the Suns light is a potential security concern for the observatory. The flight organizers for SOFIA designed and timed the delicate dance of the Venus observations to guarantee that there was no threat of SOFIA accidently observing the Sun. Still, everyone on the flight thoroughly monitored the sky to see the green flash, a phenomenon that suggests the Sun has set over the horizon. Once the Sun was down, the pilots turned the airplane so SOFIA could observe Venus.
SOFIA started off the night prior to sunset by opening the upper stiff door– which just recently went through a special upkeep duration– so SOFIA might observe Jupiter to prepare the instrument and telescope for Venus. On schedule, the aircraft turned and began to gather photos of Venus using the German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies, or GREAT, instrument.
One of the goals of the observations was to deal with current reports of phosphine on Venus. Due to their higher sensitivities, SOFIA and the GREAT instrument will have the ability to set a stringent upper limit on Venus phosphine abundance. Using GREATs ability to make several simultaneous observations, the Venus observations likewise studied hydrogen chloride and conducted the very first look for atomic oxygen in Venus environment. Now that GREAT has actually observed Venus, the groups of scientists who proposed these observations will start the creative procedure of decreasing and examining the information. We anticipate discovering the results of their work.