Education & Public Outreach Overview
The European Space Agency (ESA)'s Venus
Express Mission (VEX) has launched the first spacecraft to Venus
since the 1986 Magellan encounter. In cooperation with the U.S. Scientific
Team, Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) activities will complement
ESA's Public Outreach efforts.
The Primary Goal of our joint E/PO program is to share the excitement
of the new Venus data, images, and animations with the public. The various
programs will compare Venus' atmospheric evolution with that of Earth.
New Venus flyby data will also be returned by the MESSENGER
Mission to Mercury, due to fly by Venus in June of 2007.
Opportunities for Amateur Astronomers
View Amateur Images of Venus
We invite amateurs to contact the Venus coordinator of the Association
of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) and submit their digital images
in FITS format to us. The header must include the date and time when the
image was taken, the filter used, location and the name of the observer.
We plan to create a web-based form shortly to submit the data via the
web. Please contact planets@ssec.wisc.edu for more information
The Venus
Amateur Observing Project (VAOP) enables amateur astronomers to contribute
scientifically useful images and data to complement Venus Express spacecraft
observations. Participants include the Association
of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) and the British
Astronomical Association (BAA).
Other Sites of Interest
- Hubble images of Venus [ HubbleSite ]
- Your Travel Guide to Venus [ BBC Science & Nature: Space ]
- Venus Mythology [ Wikipedia ]
- Venus Crater Database [Lunar and Planetary Institute ]
