Nov 29 2001
From The Space Library
Konrad Dennerl, of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany, and his team of astronomers announced that they had performed the first x-ray observations of the planet Venus. The team had used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to conduct the observations, which revealed new information about the planet’s atmosphere. The x-ray observations of Venus were different from views of the planet made in visible light, because fluorescence, rather than reflection, produced the x-rays from the planet. Most of the fluorescent x-rays come from oxygen and carbon atoms located 120 to 140 kilometers (74 to 87 miles) above the surface of Venus, whereas clouds that are 50 to 70 kilometers (31 to 43 miles) above the surface reflect optical light. The observations represented a technological breakthrough. Other x-ray astronomy satellites had been unable to point steadily in the direction of Venus, because the planet’s relative proximity to the Sun had prevented them from locking onto guide stars that were visually distinct from the Sun. (NASA, “Chandra Captures Venus in a Whole New Light,” news release 01-236, 27 November 2001.)
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