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The ESA / JAXA BepiColombo space probe captured this view of Venus on August 10, 2021.
ESA / BepiColombo / MTM
The spaceship BepiColombo goes to Mercury, but he takes a roundabout path to get there. He traveled around Venus this week for what is called a “gravity assist maneuver” that helps it target the innermost planet in our solar system. During the flyby, he caught a haunting new image of the planet in black and white.
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japanese space agency JAXA. He previously zipped by Venus in 2020. The new image comes to us courtesy of a black and white camera. It makes Venus look like a glowing disk in the dark of space.
The spaceship photobombed Venus. You can spot an antenna and part of BepiColombo’s body in the picture.
BepiColombo was launched in 2018. “During its seven-year cruise to the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system, BepiColombo performs one flyby over Earth, two over Venus and six over Mercury to dampen the gravitational pull of the sun in order to enter orbit around Mercury, ”ESA said in a statement Tuesday.
The spacecraft bound for Mercury isn’t the only visitor to Venus this week. This is half of a rare double flyover. NASA and ESA Solar orbiter zoomed in by Aug 9 on its way to check the sun’s poles. Solar Orbiter was unable to photograph the planet, so BepiColombo is our best source of views of Venus from flyover events.
NASA targets Venus: find out what the hell planet looks like
See all the pictures
The flyovers give scientists a chance to study the environment of Venus. The planet has had a high profile lately due to intriguing gas measurements, although a study earlier this year suggests that Venus cannot sustain life in her clouds.
JAXA currently has its Orbiter Akatsuki in residence. Venus will soon be the subject of further study because NASA and ESA are developing a trio of missions to send to the hostile hell planet which is known for its clouds of sulfuric acid. In the meantime, we can enjoy the view from BepiColombo.
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