The development of studies of VenusAn historical account is given of the major figures, observational techniques and theories involved in Venus studies prior to space probe-based researches. Those who followed Galileo Galilei (1610) with the simple telescopes of the 17th and early 18th centuries confirmed the phases of the illuminated face of Venus. Lomonosov (1761) noted a gray halo surrounding the planet as it was partially silhouetted against the sun, and correctly inferred that Venus has an atmosphere. The brightness and nearly featureless appearance of the planet, together with the halo effect, led to the early conclusion that the atmosphere is cloudy. While visual and photographic spectroscopy had been applied to Venus many times, the first indication of spectral features different from the solar spectrum was found in 1932 with the high dispersion spectrograph on the Mt. Wilson 2.5-m telescope.
Document ID
19830056184
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Cruikshank, D. P. (Hawaii, University Honolulu, HI, United States)