This Week's Where In The Universe Challenge
Written by Nancy Atkinson
It’s time once again for another Where In The Universe Challenge. Test your visual knowledge of the cosmos by naming where in the Universe this image was taken and give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft responsible for this picture. Post your guesses in the comments section, and check back later at this same post to find the answer. To make this challenge fun for everyone, please don’t include links or extensive explanations with your answer. Good luck!
UPDATE: The answer has been posted below.
This is a radar image of Venus, taken by the Magellan spacecraft. The radar is able to peer through the murky clouds on Venus to show the surface, so as SteveZodiac said, Venus does look a little naked in this image!
Magellan plunged into Venus' atmosphere in 1994, never to be heard from again, but for more images and information about the mission, check out the Magellan website.
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October 21st, 2009 at 11:34 am
Venus, RADAR image from the Magellan spacecraft?
October 21st, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Semi-easy.
This is a radar image of the surface of Venus. That's the easy part. The hard part is the spacecraft.
I'd venture a guess that it's a mosaic made with data collected by Magellan. Perhaps.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Dang late again, and this was easy. It is a radar map of Venus by Magellan.
LC
October 21st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
That's a radar image from Venus, though I forget the name of the space craft. Magellan, perhaps?
October 21st, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Thats and old map of venus!
October 21st, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Radar map of the surface of Venus taken by Magellan.
October 21st, 2009 at 10:21 pm
From my first sight i though it was our Sun haha!
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:03 am
Don't feel bad when/if we're both wrong. MY first thought was dear old Io. (Galileo might have told me "Tsk, tsk!"
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:19 am
Very unfortunate I had to see all these answers before getting to write mine, even though I was wrong. I too was thinking IO by Galileo…..But yes a radar image of venus by Magellan.
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:28 am
Ooh! she's naked
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:33 am
I'm very surprised to see this stump up a few people.
I always thought the missing data is nicely hidden also in this image.
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:26 am
Venus/Radar/Magellan probe
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:57 am
It is obviously Venus on one of those rare Venusian days when all the clouds disappear.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Looks like Venus. But i think it is an artists representation of Earth a few million years after the radiation device was set off in the Asimov Foundation Series.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:18 am
Venus
Computer-generated global view centered at 180° E. longitude
from Magellan (mostly) with some data gaps filled from Pioneer-Venus Orbiter data.
Now to read the other comments and see that everyone already knew that?
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I think PolishBear wins this one. =D