                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2023 July 3
     Planet Venus is pictured in ultraviolet light. The spherical planet
      appears circular in tan colors with hints of blue. Complex cloud
     patterns are evident. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                     Venus in Ultraviolet from Akatsuki
     Image Credit & Copyright: JAXA, Planet-C Project Team; h/t: Mehmet
                                Hakan Özsaraç

   Explanation: Why is Venus so different from Earth? To help find out,
   Japan launched the robotic Akatsuki spacecraft which entered orbit
   around Venus late in 2015 after an unplanned five-year adventure around
   the inner Solar System. Even though Akatsuki was past its original
   planned lifetime, the spacecraft and instruments were operating so well
   that much of its original mission was reinstated. Also known as the
   Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki's instruments investigated unknowns
   about Earth's sister planet, including whether volcanoes are still
   active, whether lightning occurs in the dense atmosphere, and why wind
   speeds greatly exceed the planet's rotation speed. In the featured
   image taken by Akatsuki's UVI camera, the day-side of Venus is seen
   shown with planet-scale V-shaped cloud pattern. The image displays
   three ultraviolet colors and indicates a dip in the relative abundance
   of sulfur dioxide shown in faint blue. Analyses of Akatsuki images and
   data has shown, among other discoveries, that Venus has equatorial jet
   similar to Earth's jet stream.

                   Tomorrow's picture: sudden sky surprise
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

