Shocking find by NASA Parker Solar Probe; Lightning on Venus may be meteors crashing | Tech News

Shocking find by NASA Parker Solar Probe; Lightning on Venus may be meteors crashing

Recently NASA's Parker Solar Probe has potentially unraveled the mystery behind Venus' enigmatic lightning storms and it turns out they might actually be meteor strikes.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Oct 07 2023, 16:24 IST
2200-foot asteroid, among 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth; NASA reveals size, speed, and more
Lightning on Venus
1/5 Asteroid 349507 (2008 QY): NASA tracked down this giant 2200-foot wide asteroid. It is as big as the size of a bridge. It will pay a close visit to Earth today, on October 3. Its closest Earth approach is estimated to be 6.32 million kilometers. It is hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 75457 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
Lightning on Venus
2/5 Asteroid 2023 SN6: As informed by NASA, This asteroid is 130 Feet wide and as big as the size of an aircraft. Its closest approach to Earth is expected to be 4.82 million kilometers per hour. It will reach close to Earth on October 4. It was first observed on September 15. It will be approaching Earth tomorrow, October 4. It relative velocity of approaching towards Earth is 30583 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
Lightning on Venus
3/5 Asteroid 2023 QC8: This asteroid is as big as the size of an aircraft. It is 130 Feet wide. Its closest Earth approach is expected to be 6.04 million kilometers. It will reach close to Earth on October 5. It was first observed on 21 August 2023. It is hurtling towards Earth with a speed of 22703 kilometers per hour. (PIxabay)
Lightning on Venus
4/5 Asteroid 2023 RF10: As revealed by the data from NASA, this asteroid is 84 feet wide. It is expected to pay a close visit to Earth on October 5. Its closest Earth approach is estimated to be 6.07 million kilometers. It will be speeding toward Earth with a relative velocity of approximately 20836 million kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
Lightning on Venus
5/5 Asteroid 2022 TD: According to NASA, this asteroid is as big as the size of a bus. Designated as 2022 TD, this asteroid is 31 feet wide. It is expected to reach close to Earth on October 7. Its close Earth approach is estimated to be 3.42 million kilometers. It will be travelling towards Earth at a speed of 33843 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
Lightning on Venus
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The revelation came in 2021 when the Parker Solar Probe executed a routine flyby of Venus. (Nasa)

NASA is running various space missions to find out the secrets of the universe. One of the major missions of the space agency is the Parker Solar probe. The spacecraft has been tasked with orbiting the Sun to find out crucial data around sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and solar storms. However, in its journey, it routinely flies past Venus. And this has allowed Parker Solar Probe to possibly find the reason behind one of the biggest phenomena that has confused scientists for years. It found that the lightning on Venus may not actually be lightning at all. In fact, they are likely to be meteors that are striking the planet and are burning up in its atmosphere.

Venus lightning storms

The revelation came in 2021 when the Parker Solar Probe executed a routine flyby of Venus, utilizing the planet's gravitational force to adjust its trajectory towards its primary celestial subject. The spacecraft is in a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun, reaching its aphelion during the course of the mission initially at Earth and eventually closing to the orbit of Venus, reveals Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

According to a report by Space.com, the lead author of a new study published on September 29 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Harriet George, a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, expressed, "Parker Solar Probe is a very capable spacecraft. Everywhere it goes, it finds something new." The probe's data, as outlined in a recent paper, challenges the conventional wisdom that the flashes of light observed on Venus signify lightning bolts. This finding suggests that while Venus may have some lightning, it might not be as prevalent as previously believed.

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The debate surrounding lightning on Venus has persisted for nearly four decades, but the newly available data may bring clarity to this long-standing scientific question. Notably, a 2021 study failed to detect the radio waves typically associated with lightning on the planet. Furthermore, a recent paper published in August suggested that some of the light flashes, previously attributed to Venusian lightning, might actually result from meteors burning up in the planet's atmosphere.

As scientists continue to study the data collected during this historic mission, it is expected that we will soon be able to know various facts about Venus and the lightning on its surface.

Do you know the Planet Venus plays a very important role?

According to NASA, the gravity assists of Venus are essential to guide Parker Solar Probe progressively closer to the Sun. This spacecraft depends on Venus to reduce its orbital energy. This in turn allows the Parker Solar Probe to travel closer to the Sun. This is how this spacecraft has been exploring the origins and unlocking the secrets of the solar wind and other properties of the near-Sun environment.

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First Published Date: 07 Oct, 16:24 IST
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