Parker Solar Probe discovers Natural Radio Emission in Venusian Atmosphere

In what was the first direct measurement of the Venusian atmosphere in nearly 30 years, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, during a brief swing by Venus, detected a natural radio signal that revealed the spacecraft had flown through the planet’s upper atmosphere.

• Researchers had last obtained direct measurements of Venus’ ionosphere from Pioneer Venus Orbiter in 1992.

Key Findings

• The recently published study confirms that Venus’ upper atmosphere undergoes puzzling changes over a solar cycle.
• When Parker Solar Probe was closest to Venus (for just seven minutes) during its latest flyby, the probe’s FIELDS instrument detected a natural, low-frequency radio signal.
• The researchers used ....