Nevertheless,
When terrestrial weather satellites detect:
Who would have thought that satellites designed to scrutinize typhoons. Consequently, cloud masses above Southeast Asia would one day be used to monitor the burning atmosphere of Venus? However. In addition, this is what a Japanese team has just revealed: thanks to a lucky alignment and a good dose of ingenuity, weather instruments in terrestrial orbit made it possible to observe the evolution of the temperatures of the clouds of Venus … Moreover, for almost ten years.
And it changes a lot.
Venus, this toxic twin of the earth – When terrestrial weather satellites detect
Venus is often described as the sister of the earth. Furthermore, It has a similar size and composition, but the resemblance stops there. However, On the surface. Meanwhile, the temperature exceeds 460 ° C, and the atmosphere, largely composed of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid, exerts overwhelming pressure. For when terrestrial weather satellites detect example, Hell, planetary version.
Its opaque and acid clouds hide the surface to any attempt to direct observation. Consequently, Understanding their behavior, their temperature, their dynamics, remains a major challenge for scientists.
But to unravel the secrets of Venus, it is still necessary to observe it regularly. In addition, And that’s where the shoe is pinches.
Why study Venus is so complicated – When terrestrial weather satellites detect
Unlike Mars. Nevertheless, which almost permanently welcomes probes and Rovers, Venus suffers from a certain operational disinterest. Nevertheless, Spatial missions against him are rare, brief and often compromised by technical or budgetary constraints. Result: it is very difficult to follow the evolution of its atmosphere over long periods.
However, variations in temperature, winds or reflectivity of the Venusian atmosphere are played on the scale of years. Difficult, under these conditions, to see clearly on its overall operation.
It is in this context when terrestrial weather satellites detect that an original idea emerged: what if. instead of sending a new probe, we used the instruments that we already have … around the earth?
A cosmic “photobomb” full of lessons
The Japanese meteorological satellites Himawari-8. Himawari-9, launched respectively in 2014 and 2016, are equipped with powerful multi-featral infrared sensors (AHI), capable of following the evolution of land clouds with great precision.
But under certain geometric conditions, these instruments can also capture Venus on the horizon, on the edge of the field. This is what researchers at the University of Tokyo, led by Gaku Nishiyama, have operated brilliantly.
By analyzing the images collected between 2015. 2025, the team identified 437 moments when Venus appeared in the field of vision of satellites. By measuring the infrared light emitted by the upper layers of its atmosphere. they were able to deduce the evolution of temperatures at the top when terrestrial weather satellites detect of the clouds.
A world first.
Venus seen by Himawari satellites. An enlarged photo shows the small size of Venus in the field of vision of observation satellites. Despite this limitation, researchers can nevertheless collect useful data. Image credit: Nishiyama et al.
Ten years of Venusian weather … without leaving the earth
These data. collected from a geostationary orbit above the terrestrial equator, constitute the series of continuous observations of the longest ever obtained Venus. And they reveal real trends: atmospheric temperatures above the clouds change from year to year. which suggests climatic dynamics more when terrestrial weather satellites detect complex than expected.
It is a major advance for planetary science. Even more precious since the next missions planned for Venus – Envision of ESA. Davinci and Veritas de la Nasa – will not take off before the end of the decade. And some, like American projects, could even be canceled or postponed due to budgetary restrictions.
A new field of observation for weather satellites?
The Japanese team does not intend to stop there. What they have accomplished for Venus could also apply to the Moon, Mercury, or other celestial bodies. By exploiting the infrared bands captured by satellites. it becomes possible to follow the thermal and compositional variations of these objects, without launching a dedicated mission.
As Nishiyama points out. “this approach opens a new path for multiband and long -term surveillance of the rocky bodies of the solar system”. An opportunistic, economic method, which when terrestrial weather satellites detect could greatly enrich our understanding of neighboring worlds.
A poetic vision of the sky … from the terrestrial orbit
In this story, there is something poetic. Satellites thought to observe the earth, our typhoons, our clouds, our droughts … become the distant witnesses of what is happening on another planet. They look, almost by accident, an infernal neighbor who we barely understand.
And this simple corner look, captured 437 times in ten years, could well revive all Venusian research.
The study details are published in the Earth review, Planets and Space.
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