Last week, the Mercury probe MESSENGER passed by Venus, changing its orbit and preparing it for its series of rendezvouses (yeah, yeah, I know, three years of French I took) with the solar system’s smallest planet. The probe took some interesting images of Venus this time, too. I particularly liked this one:
These were taken as MESSENGER left Venus. I like them because first, they look like the views of Venus I get through my own Earthbound ’scope (though right now Venus is only half full, and not a crescent). But also, I like them because of the sense of leaving, of moving on. It’s not an animation or anything, but it does convey the sense that MESSENGER is still on the go and has things to do.
Incidentally, the "480nm" in the image title means 480 nanometers. That’s the wavelength of light passed by the filter in the camera, and it’s roughly the blue-green part of the spectrum. It corresponds to one wavelength of light emitted by hydrogen (the "H-beta" line), though I’m not sure that matters here. It’s also is the wavelength of light where the Sun emits the strongest — some people assume it’s yellow, but it’s actually blue-green. The Sun doesn’t look that color because it emits yellow, orange, and red light too, and we see them blended together.
Anyway, next stop for MESSENGER: Mercury. Well, that’s misleading: it’ll pass by Mercury several times before getting into its parking orbit. The images from there will be very cool indeed.
Tip o’ the sunshield to Emily, of course.
June 15th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Is there somewhere I can find a map of the path and interactions the MESSENGER probe has made and will make throughout its journey? The whole thing seems like the largest game of intergalactic billiards ever played, and just seeing the number of “trick shots” NASA has to make to park this thing in its final orbit around Mercury would be extremely interesting.
June 15th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Here you go: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/ani.html
June 15th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Somewhat off topic:
In the new movie “Sunshine” (which of course isn’t in the U.S. just yet) there’s a scene in which a graphical simulation is played of the spacecraft’s gravity assist with Mercury. It portrays the ship making two complete loops about the planet before proceeding to its rendezvous with the Sun. It’s inconsequential to the overall story, but it is the stuff which makes going to the movies worth the price of admission for physics geeks.
June 15th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Any idea if it’s possible to get a poster of that sequence?
June 15th, 2007 at 8:59 am
jbrader: Kinko’s
Mark: Thanks for the link! I’d Googled but hadn’t found anything.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Don’t feel too bad, Phil. I took three years of French about twenty years ago. *Sigh* Man, I’m old. Anyway, my teacher was a hillbilly. So, my enunciations are probably all off.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:23 am
By the way, very cool link, Mark. I’ll have to check that out when I have some time.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:57 am
The pictures of Mercury will be cool? Somehow I’d think they’d be hot.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Berlzebub: Piker. @0 years is so YOUNG. I had French in 1962. Fortunately, the French teacher WAS French, a graduate of the Sorbonne, so my accent is pretty good, though I’ve managed to forget most of my vocabulary. Perhaps next time I visit France, I’ll have the chance to recall some of that,,,
Will Messenger make good photos of the surface? Might be able to see molten rivers of lead,,,that would be cool,,,er,,,,hot,,,
Maybe we’ll spot Darth Vader taking a swim,,,
Gary 7
June 16th, 2007 at 6:18 am
In my astro photos folder, I have some pictures of Mercury. They are fairly detailed and show a planet heavily cratered…not a big deal. Since we already have photos of Mercury, what is the primary mission for Messenger? Im not sure I have read anything about it and Im interested in what they expect to learn that we dont already know?
June 16th, 2007 at 8:32 am
DenverAstro,
The reason for placing an orbiter about Mercury -even though we already have some photos from a previous probe- is for the same reason why orbiters have been placed about several other planets, such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn. Fly-by missions have literally only a period of minutes to swing in close, take some photos, and then leave the planet forever. An orbiter has the opportunity to map the entire planet for a variety of parameters, using instruments which are orders of magnitude improved over those which were on the fly-by probe way back in the early 1970s.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:40 am
Gary: Love the *shift* 2 @ 10:09am.
Is this the same shift that Phil has just undertaken?
At @0 days ago? (+/- a few days).
Ivan.
June 18th, 2007 at 9:17 am
As I understand it any molten metal on the surface of Mercury would graduall seep doiwn into the substrate, so there would be none on the serface unless there was a planet quake
September 9th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Or volcanism?
Took three years of French @ high school and about all I can remember is that they call their swimming pools “piss-ins” & yoplait is Not “French for yoghurt”as yaourt is …
There was only one previous mission to Mercury – Mariner (10?) in about the 1960’s-70s – which flew past a couple of times but didn’t map the entire surface. So there are unknown areas there that may surprise us with at least one group suggesting there maybe a sizeable volcano there yet to be discovered. (Source : ‘Astronomy Now’ magazine : “10 mysteries of the Solar system.” At work now so can’t list exact month, author etc ..)
Incidentally, smallest planet is debateable. Counting the dwarfs as we should (after all we count dwarf stars as stars too!) Ceres is the smallest planet.