Where In The Universe #115

by Nancy Atkinson on August 18, 2010

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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/telescope responsible for this picture. Post your guesses in the comments section, and check back on 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!

I have to admit, the “Patrick Stewart” answer made me laugh out loud, but really, (as most of you guessed) this is an ultraviolet image of Venus’ clouds as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide-Field/Planetary Camera 2 taken on January 24 1995, when Venus was at a distance of 70.6 million miles (113.6 million kilometers) from Earth.

You can read more about this image, including why there is a “Y”-shaped pattern in the clouds, at this webpage from NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center.

About

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

  • Jorge

    This is Venus. In ultraviolet, I believe.

    I don’t know by heart which probe shot this image, though, although I do know it was one of the first to head that way.

  • Lawrence B. Crowell

    Ultraviolet image of Venus’ clouds as seen by HST’s Wide-Field/Planetary Camera 2.

  • scibuff

    Venus in UV by HST

  • Polaris93

    Venus, as imaged by ESA’s Venus Express in either July 2007 or May 2006.

  • Tim McDaniel

    Patrick Stewart in India during Holi?

  • bystander

    Venus by HST/WFPC2 in UV on 24 Jan 1995

  • oneoflk

    This is Planet Venus ultraviolet-light image, Taken by NASA Hubble Space Telescope by in January 24 1995.

  • HJG731103

    ummm Venus, with my canon 350
    hehehe

    Sorry! I just had to do it

  • Navneeth

    Venus. I don’t want extra points, thank you. (That’s just a mean way of saying, I don’t know which spacecraft was responsible in bringing that image to us.)

  • getvinay

    Obviously Venus

  • Neutron-Glitch

    The V marks are unmistakable definitely Venus. Maybe by HST’s Wide-Field/Planetary Camera

    OR it’s one perfectly round prune

  • neoguru

    Gotta be Venus in a really strange color & angle.

  • BillGawne

    Venus, HST, WFPC2

  • Andromeda

    Venus, pictured by Hubble, taken with the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 in 1995.

  • Ringman

    Venus, I don’t know what took the picture though.

  • Jorge

    I really screwed up the spacecraft this time, eh?… :)

    Yeah, I mixed it up with this photo, taken in the 70s by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Venuspioneeruv.jpg

    Oh welll… At least I got the planet right… ;)

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