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Venus:
Venus In A New Light
This Chandra image, the first
X-ray image ever made of Venus, shows a half crescent
due to the relative orientation of the Sun, Earth and
Venus. The X-rays from Venus are produced by fluorescent
radiation from oxygen and other atoms in the atmosphere
between 120 and 140 kilometers above the surface of the
planet. In contrast, the optical light from Venus is
caused by the reflection from clouds 50 to 70
kilometers above the surface.
Solar X-rays bombard the atmosphere of Venus, knock
electrons out of the inner parts of atoms, and excite
the atoms to a higher energy level. The atoms almost
immediately return to their lower energy state with the
emission of a fluorescent X-ray. A similar process
involving ultraviolet light produces the visible light
from fluorescent lamps.
This and future X-ray images will enable scientists to
examine regions of the Venusian atmosphere that are
difficult to investigate otherwise.
| Fast Facts for Venus: |
| Credit |
NASA/MPE/K.Dennerl et al. |
| Scale |
Image is 2.25 arcmin. |
| Category |
Solar System |
| Observation Dates |
January 10 & 13, 2001
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| Observation Time |
6 hours |
| Obs. IDs |
583, 2411, 2414
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| Color Code |
Intensity |
| Instrument |
LETG |
| Distance Estimate |
Venus was approximately 110 million kilometers from Earth at the time of observation.
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| Release Date |
November 29, 2001 |
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