the-star-stuff: Venus Spinning Slower Than Thought—Scientists Stumped Mysterious decrease could affect future exploration missions. Venus is spinning even slower than astronomers thought, according to new data from a European space probe. In the early 1990s scientists with NASA’s Magellan mission calculated that a single rotation of Venus takes 243.015 Earth days, based on the speed of surface features passing beneath the orbiting spacecraft. But scientists now mapping Venus’s surface with the European Space Agency’s Venus Express orbiter were surprised to find the same features up to 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) from where they were expected to be, based on the previous measurements. According to the new data, Venus is rotating 6.5 minutes slower than it was 16 years ago, a result that’s been found to correlate with long-term radar observations taken from Earth. Image courtesy MPS/DLR/IDA/ESA Wild.

the-star-stuff:

Venus Spinning Slower Than Thought—Scientists Stumped

Mysterious decrease could affect future exploration missions.

Venus is spinning even slower than astronomers thought, according to new data from a European space probe.

In the early 1990s scientists with NASA’s Magellan mission calculated that a single rotation of Venus takes 243.015 Earth days, based on the speed of surface features passing beneath the orbiting spacecraft.

But scientists now mapping Venus’s surface with the European Space Agency’s Venus Express orbiter were surprised to find the same features up to 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) from where they were expected to be, based on the previous measurements.

According to the new data, Venus is rotating 6.5 minutes slower than it was 16 years ago, a result that’s been found to correlate with long-term radar observations taken from Earth.

Image courtesy MPS/DLR/IDA/ESA

Wild.

40 Notes

  1. mindlessmunkey reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  2. awwstin reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  3. kazzxz reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  4. movingonward reblogged this from theweightofemptiness
  5. imitationofblog reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  6. theweightofemptiness reblogged this from potoman
  7. potoman reblogged this from radiofreeandrew
  8. radiofreeandrew reblogged this from the-star-stuff and added:
    Wild.
  9. psychnerdd reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  10. zamamama reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  11. princepup reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  12. timeneverenoughtime reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  13. pure-pleasure-seeker reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  14. themoonmonster reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  15. gamma-radio reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  16. code-pi reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  17. jupiterianjoker reblogged this from the-star-stuff and added:
    Venus
  18. darylelockhart reblogged this from the-star-stuff
  19. the-star-stuff posted this