{"id":6783,"date":"2023-03-25T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=6783"},"modified":"2023-03-25T17:53:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T17:53:35","slug":"active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/","title":{"rendered":"Active Volcano on Venus: Before and After Images"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Venus_Express\/Hot_lava_flows_discovered_on_Venus\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230320-Evidence_for_active_volcanoes_on_Venus_pillars-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"European Space Agency's infographic: 'Evidence for active volcanoes on Venus' (June 18, 2015)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">European Space Agency&#8217;s 2015 infographic: &#8220;Evidence for active volcanoes on Venus&#8221;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Venus is dead as a doornail as far as life is concerned. Life as we know it, at any rate, and already I&#8217;m drifting off-topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Geologically, though, we&#8217;ve known that there&#8217;s still metaphorical life in Venus. Or was, until very recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Orbiters have sent back evidence of geologically-recent volcanic activity, including images of shield volcanoes and lava flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we had no direct evidence of a volcano that&#8217;s active <strong>now.<\/strong> Until scientists sifted through data recorded and stored in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#observing\"><strong>Observing Venus: Five Millennia in About 700 Words<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#telescopic\">Telescopic Views<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#pulp\">Pulp Fiction and the Radar Astronomers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#missions\"><strong>Missions to Venus<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#sar\">SAR, Science and Magellan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#active\"><strong>Active(?) Volcano on Venus: Maat Mons<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#from\">From the Magellan Archives: a Changing Volcanic Vent \u2014<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#newlava\">\u2014 And New Lava Flows, Maybe<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#hotspots\">Hot Spots, Sulfur Dioxide, Venusian Volcanoes and Acronyms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#maps\"><strong>Maps, Missions, Maat Mons and More<\/strong>e<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#greater\">&#8220;Greater Admiration&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"observing\"><\/a>Observing Venus: Five Millennia in About 700 Words.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#master\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150729-583px-Ptolemaicsystem-small-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Schematic diagram of Peter Apian's (Petrus Apianus) cosmology, largely reflecting Aristotelian physics and cosmology. From Peter Apian's 'Cosmographia,' annotated by Gemma Frisius. (1524) Reproduced in Edward Grant's 'Celestial Orbs in the Latin Middle Ages.' (1987)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>We&#8217;ve known about the planet Venus for a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the lights in Earth&#8217;s sky stay put, relative to each other, and they all spin around the celestial sphere&#8217;s poles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven \u2014 Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the moon and the sun \u2014 don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Venus never gets very far from the sun, so it&#8217;s only seen in the morning or evening sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some folks, like the ancient Greeks, had one name for Venus when it was a morning star and another for the evening star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those names go back at least to Hesiod&#8217;s day, two and three quarters millennia back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But before that, around the time construction started on Stonehenge, folks in what we call Mesopotamia had a single name for Venus: Inanna. That was around 3000 B.C., during what archaeology buffs call the Jemdet Nasr period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We know about the 3000 B.C. Venus observations, thanks to a cylinder seal found near today&#8217;s Jalibah, Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next Venus-related record I know of is what we call the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ammisaduqa was Babylon&#8217;s king around the time Egypt&#8217;s Thirteenth Dynasty was winding down, when the Late Bronze Age Collapse was still four centuries in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last I heard, academics still haven&#8217;t decided whether Homer&#8217;s epics were based on actual events, but for some reason there&#8217;s a consensus that the Late Bronze Age Collapse was real.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup> And that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"telescopic\"><\/a>Telescopic Views<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#venus\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/ManfromVenus-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Frank R. Paul's 'The Man From Venus', Fantastic Adventures back cover. (July 1939) via David S. Zondy's Tales of Future Past [http:\/\/davidszondy.com\/futurepast\/man-from-venus.html], used w\/o permission\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Next \u2014 skipping lightly over Aristotle, Gan De, Ptolemy, Abd al-Rahman al Sufi and Copernicus \u2014 in 1761, Mikhail Lomonosov noticed that Venus has an atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I gather that he saw a fuzzy arc during the 1761 transit of Venus, and that academics were debating what he actually saw until at least 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lomonosov used a telescope. So did Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Johann Hieronymus Schr\u00f6ter and Chester Lyman. Not the same telescope, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cassini and Schr\u00f6ter figured that a day on Venus lasted about 24 hours, based on markings they saw. Or thought they saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until the mid to late 19th century, when John Draper and others began taking photographs through telescopes, astronomers made observations by patiently looking through their telescopes, sometimes for hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The human brain is very good at pattern recognition. So good that sometimes it shows us patterns that aren&#8217;t really there. Pareidolia is a five-dollar word for the sort of perception that lets us see the Man in the Moon, happy electrical outlets and Martian canals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although I haven&#8217;t confirmed it, I&#8217;m guessing that Cassini and Schr\u00f6ter observed something akin to Schiaparelli&#8217;s canali. All we can see of Venus in visible light is a nearly-featureless crescent or disk, depending on where it is in its orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting in the 1920s, we could pick up a few cloud features by observing with ultraviolet-sensitive cameras.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"pulp\"><\/a>Pulp Fiction and the Radar Astronomers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/space-aliens-perceptions-assumptions\/#backwater\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170908ff\/Venus02-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Frank R. Paul's 'A City on Venus', Amazing Stories back cover. (January 1941) via David S. Zondy's Tales of Future Past [davidszondy.com\/futurepast\/venus.html], used w\/o permission\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Meanwhile, pulp science fiction magazines were entertaining and inspiring America&#8217;s youth with tales that I&#8217;d call reality-based. But not realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;About the only thing that astronomers knew about Venus in the &#8217;30s was that it was smaller than Earth, had a a bit more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and a heck of a lot of clouds. In pure run-with-it logic the clouds meant lot of water and the CO<sub>2<\/sub> meant an atmosphere like prehistoric Earth. Conclusion: Carboniferous swamps over the whole planet inhabited by dinosaurs.<br>Also Munchkin villages&#8230;.&#8221;<br> (<a href=\"http:\/\/davidszondy.com\/futurepast\/venus.html\">Venus<\/a>, Tales of Future Past, David S. Zondy)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting back to the non-fiction planet, Schiaparelli said he&#8217;d seen a few features on Venus. His best estimate was that it rotated once every 224.7 days, same as its orbital period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Percival Lowell said pretty much the same thing. Then, from November 1902 to March 1903, Vesto Slipher collected spectrograms of Venus, looking for Doppler shift. He&#8217;d been working at the Lowell Observatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lowell said that Slipher&#8217;s analysis confirmed his and Schiaparelli&#8217;s conclusion. Slipher was more cautious. He said he found &#8220;no evidence that Venus has a short period of rotation,&#8221; and that &#8220;so fast a spin as 24 hours could not have escaped detection.&#8221;<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#3\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another big step in Venus studies was radar astronomy. It&#8217;s like radio astronomy, except that it bounces radio waves off places like the moon and Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1944, Zolt\u00e1n Lajos Bay started testing a radar telescope at the Research Laboratory of the United Incandescent Lamp and Electrical Co. Ltd., (&#8220;Tungsram&#8221;), Ujpest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ujpest is a district in Budapest. But more to the point, World War II was in progress. So it wasn&#8217;t until 1946 that they bounced a signal off the moon. By the 1960s, we&#8217;d learned that Venus turns on its axis more slowly than it goes around the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Scientists got radar images of Venus in the 1970s, using the Arecibo Observatory&#8217;s thousand-foot dish. They found three bright patches: Alpha and Beta Regio in 1964 and Maxwell Montes in 1967.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"missions\"><\/a>Missions to Venus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kSPXrzxwtCE\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first successful interplanetary mission, Mariner 2, flew by Venus in 1962. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Venera 4 lander stopped transmitting when atmospheric pressure rose to 22 times Earth&#8217;s. That was in 1967. Venera 7&#8217;s lander made it all the way to the surface in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mariner 4 did a flyby of Venus on its way to Mercury, the Venera 9 lander sent back the first pictures from the surface of Venus. In 1978, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter began mapping the Venusian surface.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#5\">5<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"sar\"><\/a>SAR, Science and Magellan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthdata.nasa.gov\/learn\/backgrounders\/what-is-sar\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230321-SARPolarization-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA SAR Handbook's illustration: 'Strong scattering in HH indicates a predominance of double-bounce scattering (e.g., stemmy vegetation, manmade structures), while strong VV relates to rough surface scattering (e.g., bare ground, water), and spatial variations in dual polarization indicate the distribution of volume scatterers (e.g., vegetation and high-penetration soil types such as sand or other dry porous soils).' (2019)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cool SAR stuff: using polarized microwaves to &#8216;see&#8217; what&#8217;s on a surface. (NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthdata.nasa.gov\/learn\/backgrounders\/what-is-sar\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230321-SARticle_first-fig_redone-06-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA SAR Handbook's illustration: 'Geometry of observations used to form the synthetic aperture for target P at along-track position x = 0.' (2019)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>And that, finally, brings me to the Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 1978 study said that <strong>S<\/strong>ynthetic <strong>A<\/strong>perture <strong>R<\/strong>adar, SAR, would give resolution down to 200 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then budget problems and the Challenger disaster happened. Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar became Magellan, and was carried to low Earth orbit on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1989.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I showed my oldest daughter an illustration of how SAR works, she said &#8220;<strong>MATH!<\/strong>&#8220;, so I&#8217;ll skip the &#8220;Synthetic Aperture L<sub>SA<\/sub>=BetaR<sub>0<\/sub>&#8221; stuff. Besides, I&#8217;m better with words than with numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, radar resolution depends on the ratio of the wavelength used to the length of the radar&#8217;s antenna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, to get 10 meter resolution with a wavelength of around 5 centimeters, you&#8217;d need a radar antenna about 4,250 meters long. That&#8217;s just shy of two and two thirds miles, which isn&#8217;t even close to being practical. Not for a spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Magellan&#8217;s SAR used 12.6 centimeter radar pulses, but \u2014 <strong>MATH!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The point is that by collecting several signals as a satellite moves \u2014 say, from point X<sub>1<\/sub> to point X<sub>2<\/sub> on that diagram \u2014 SAR radar gets resolution that&#8217;s as good as it would be if it was using one antenna that&#8217;s as long as X<sub>1<\/sub>-X<sub>2<\/sub>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From September 1990 to October 1994, Magellan gathered data and sent it back to Earth.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#6\">6<\/a><\/sup> That&#8217;s a whole mess of data, and scientists are still sifting through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"active\"><\/a>Active(?) Volcano on Venus: Maat Mons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/venus-volcano\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230320-e-pia00104-venus-full-alt-1041-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA\/JPL-Caltech's computer-simulated global map of Venus, showing location of Maat Mons. (March 17, 2023)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One hemisphere of Venus, with Maat Mons area outlined. (NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One big plus of data from orbiters, Magellan included, is that they can show what an area looks like at different times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They&#8217;ve also let scientists know that the amount of sulfur dioxide and methane in the Venusian atmosphere varies considerably. That&#8217;s been a metaphorical smoking gun, evidence that volcanoes might be active on Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s considerable distance between &#8220;might be&#8221; and &#8220;is&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took three decades for someone to notice Magellan&#8217;s &#8216;before and after&#8217; SAR snapshots of volcanic vents on Maat Mons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That seems like a long time. But Magellan sent back a lot of data. Plus, Venus is nearly as large as Earth: so I figure it&#8217;s small wonder spotting the two images took time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maat Mons is the second-highest mountain and highest volcano on Venus.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#7\">7<\/a><\/sup> It&#8217;s also one of the planet&#8217;s volcanoes that scientists thought might still be active. And now we have what looks like solid evidence of a recent eruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/03\/17\/1164053464\/volcanic-activity-on-venus-spotted-in-radar-images-scientists-say\">Volcanic activity on Venus spotted in radar images, scientists say<\/a>&#8220;<br>Ari Daniel, NPR (March 17, 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Researchers scouring decades-old spacecraft data have found clear signs of recent volcanic activity on Venus. The findings, published in the journal Science, reveal not only that the planet&#8217;s surface is currently a turbulent place, but offer insights into its geological past and future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;By any measure, Venus is a hellscape: crushing pressures, a toxic atmosphere, and surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. It&#8217;s like a scene lifted straight from Dante&#8217;s <em>Inferno<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s &#8216;my favorite planet,&#8217; says Robert Herrick, a planetary scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"from\"><\/a>From the Magellan Archives: a Changing Volcanic Vent \u2014<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230321-science-abm7735-f1-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science's image: 'Fig. 1. Topography and SAR image of the study area on Venus. The colors indicate elevations, which are measured relative to the mean planetary radius from gridded Magellan altimetry. The x and y axes indicate planetary longitude and latitude, respectively. The background grayscale images are from cycle 1 east-looking SAR. The black rectangle indicates the area shown in Fig. 2.' (March 15, 2023)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 1: the study area in Alta Regio, Venus. The black rectangle shows Figure 2&#8217;s area. (March 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230321-science-abm7735-f2-658.jpg?resize=640%2C305&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science's image: 'Fig. 2. Radar images of a vent that has changed shape. (A) East-looking cycle 1 image and (B) west-looking cycle 2 image of the changed vent and its surroundings. In the cycle 1 image, the vent appears nearly circular and deep with steep walls. In the cycle 2 image, the vent appears larger, irregular in outline, shallower, and nearly filled. The dashed yellow line outlines radar-bright lava flows visible in the cycle 2 image that were not apparent in the cycle 1 image. (C and D) The same images indicating the manually selected match points (purple dots) that were used to generate relative elevations (overlain in color) and to orthorectify the images. The black box in (C) indicates the extent of the unrectified images shown in (A) and (B). All images are shown in a sinusoidal projection with a projection longitude of 165.359\u00b0W.' (March 15, 2023)\" width=\"640\" height=\"305\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Figure 2: Close look at Maat Mons, scanned by Magellan: first (A) from the east, then (B) from the west.<br>Dotted yellow lines in (B) are new, bright lava flows.<br>Black box in (C) shows extent of images (A) and (B).<br>(C) and (D) show match points (purple dots) used to get elevations (overlaid in color) (March 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;<strong>I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.<\/strong>&#8220;<br>Blaise Pascal, Provincial Letters: Letter XVI (4 December 1656)<br>via <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikiquote.org\/wiki\/Blaise_Pascal\">Wikiquote<\/a>, unknown translator<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m not in Pascal&#8217;s class, which is why I skipped over Synthetic Aperture L<sub>SA<\/sub>=BetaR<sub>0<\/sub> and talked about wavelengths and distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I&#8217;ve got the same issue with time and writing. Ideally, I&#8217;d boil down the following &#8220;&#8230;differences in imaging geometry&#8230;posteruptive vent&#8230;&#8221; excerpt. But I spent more time than I might have on that five-millennia &#8216;watching Venus&#8217; summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So give this excerpt from the &#8220;Surface changes&#8230;&#8221; article in the Science journal, I&#8217;ll show a couple more &#8220;before and after&#8221; images, taken eight months apart in 1991, and move along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\">Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission<\/a>&#8220;<br>Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science (March 15, 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><br>&#8220;Venus has a geologically young surface, but it is unknown whether it has ongoing active volcanism. From 1990 to 1992, the Magellan spacecraft imaged the planet\u2019s surface, using synthetic aperture radar. We examined volcanic areas on Venus that were imaged two or three times by Magellan and identified an ~2.2-square-kilometer volcanic vent that changed shape in the 8-month interval between two radar images. Additional volcanic flows downhill from the vent are visible in the second-epoch images, although we cannot rule out that they were present but invisible in the first epoch because of differences in imaging geometry. We interpret these results as evidence of ongoing volcanic activity on Venus.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;<strong>An active vent in Atla Regio<\/strong><br>&#8220;<strong>Figure 1<\/strong> shows gridded Magellan altimetry overlain on Magellan cycle 1 SAR images of an area in Atla Regio, Venus, which extends from 9\u00b0S, 170\u00b0W to 6.25\u00b0N, 151\u00b0W, covering ~3.2 \u00d7 106 km2. This area contains two of the planet\u2019s largest volcanoes, Ozza Mons and Maat Mons, which have previously been hypothesized to be locations of active volcanism). Magellan observed this area with east-looking images in cycle 1 (incidence angle 45\u00b0) and west-looking images in cycle 2 (incidence angle 25\u00b0). This area has not been imaged by Earth-based radar, nor was it imaged during the earlier Venera 15 and Venera 16 missions to Venus&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We identified a volcanic vent at 1.363\u00b0N, 165.359\u00b0W that changed shape and expanded <strong>([Figure 2])<\/strong> in the 8-month interval between the Magellan imaging in cycle 1 and 2 (February to October 1991). The vent is located on the north side of a domed shield volcano that is part of the larger Maat Mons volcano. In the east-looking cycle 1 image, the vent appears near-circular (1.5 \u00d7 1.8 km, area 2.2 km<sup>2<\/sup>) with steep interior slopes. We speculate that it was a drained posteruptive vent. In the west-looking cycle 2 image, the vent has become larger (4.0 km<sup>2<\/sup>) and irregular in shape. In cycle 2, the vent wall, identifiable as bright pixels on the vent\u2019s west side (an east-facing slope) and dark pixels on its east side (west-facing slope), is narrow, so the vent interior and exterior are separated by only a few pixels in the 75 m\/pixel radar mosaic. We interpret this narrowness as being due to short vent walls, perhaps only tens of meters high, which implies that the vent is nearly filled to its rim in the cycle 2 image. We speculate that a lava lake formed in the vent interior during the 8-month gap between images&#8230;.&#8221;<br>(Figure 1, 2: emphasis mine)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"newlava\"><\/a>\u2014 And New Lava Flows, Maybe<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/venus-proof-of-active-volcanoes-at-last-201931\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230320-file-20230315-3305-69ahd6-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Nasa\/JPL's Magellan radar images of Maat Mons, showing changing landscape in 1991. Maat Mons is a shield volcano on Venus: the planet's second-highest mountain and highest volcano. (February and October 1991)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maat Mons: possible new lava flows and a volcanic crater&#8217;s growth. (February and October 1991)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That pair of NASA\/JPL Magellan SAR radar images, from an article in The Conversation, look a bit like part of Herrick and Hensley&#8217;s Figure 3, but I haven&#8217;t managed to find the NASA\/JPL document they&#8217;re from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The scientists figured that, since the February 1991 image was taken from a different angle than the October 1991 one, differences between the two in how the one crater looks might come from something in the image processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So they ran simulated SAR data of a virtual crater, seen from east and west, and came up with a crater that looked round, both ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Odds are very good that the crater on Maat Mons grew during those eight months, and was bean-shaped in late 1991. If follow-up work confirms what they&#8217;ve said, Herrick and Hensley have spotted the first known active volcano on Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, we&#8217;ve had other &#8216;firsts&#8217; in the search for Venusian volcanoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"hotspots\"><\/a>Hot Spots, Sulfur Dioxide, Venusian Volcanoes and Acronyms<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/evidence-active-volcano-venus\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230323-IdunnMons_VenusExpress_1080-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA, JPL-Caltech, ESA, Venus Express: VIRTIS, USRA, LPI's image: Idunn Mons, infrared glow observed by ESA's Venus Express shown in red.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Idun Mons: image showing infrared glow (red) detected by VIRTIS, Venus Express. (2020)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The ESA&#8217;s Venus Express orbited Venus from 2006 to 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spacecraft&#8217;s main job was studying the Venusian atmosphere. Its <strong>V<\/strong>enus <strong>M<\/strong>onitoring <strong>C<\/strong>amera, <strong>VMC<\/strong>, worked in ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it carried three spectrometers: including the <strong>V<\/strong>isible and <strong>I<\/strong>nfrared <strong>T<\/strong>hermal <strong>I<\/strong>maging <strong>S<\/strong>pectrometer, <strong>VIRTIS<\/strong> and <strong>SP<\/strong>ectroscopy for <strong>I<\/strong>nvestigation of <strong>C<\/strong>haracteristics of the <strong>A<\/strong>tmosphere of <strong>V<\/strong>enus, <strong>SPICAV<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2010, scientists published a study that connected hot spots with areas on Venus that looked like fresh lava flows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years later, another study tracked a spike in sulfur dioxide in the planet&#8217;s upper atmosphere, followed by a slower decline. The decline looked like a similar drop in sulfur dioxide seen by Pioneer when it arrived at Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hot spots on ground that look like lava flows strongly suggests recent volcanic activity, but I&#8217;m guessing someone came up with another possible explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sulfur dioxide in the upper atmosphere must have come up from below: recently. It breaks down in a matter of days when exposed to sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Was that poof that volcanoes were erupting? Maybe not.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#8\">8<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;&#8217;<strong>A volcanic eruption could<\/strong> act like a piston to blast sulphur dioxide up to these levels, <strong>but peculiarities in the circulation<\/strong> of the planet <strong>that we don\u2019t yet fully understand could also mix the gas to reproduce the same result<\/strong>,&#8217; adds co-author Dr Jean-Loup Bertaux, Principal Investigator for the instrument on Venus Express [SPICAV] that made the detections&#8230;.&#8221;<br>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Venus_Express\/Have_Venusian_volcanoes_been_caught_in_the_act\">Have Venusian volcanoes been caught in the act?<\/a>&#8220;, Venus Express, ESA (March 12, 2021) [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"maps\"><\/a>Maps, Missions, Maat Mons and More<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus#Geography\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230321-2438_pioneer_venus_map_of_venus-corr-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA Ames Research Center, U.S Geological Survey, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's map of Venus, from Pioneer data. (March 1981)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">NASA-Ames\/USGS\/MIT Venus map, from Pioneer data. (March 1981)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Two more excessively-wordy excerpts, and I&#8217;ll talk about Venusian maps and mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, what got this month&#8217;s study started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Scientists study active volcanoes to understand how a planet&#8217;s interior can shape its crust, drive its evolution, and affect its habitability. One of NASA&#8217;s new missions to Venus will do just that. Led by the agency&#8217;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, <strong>VERITAS \u2013 short for Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy \u2013 <\/strong>will launch within a decade. <strong>The orbiter will study Venus from surface to core to understand how a rocky planet about the same size as Earth took a very different path<\/strong>, developing into a world covered in volcanic plains and deformed terrain hidden beneath a thick, hot, toxic atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<strong>&#8216;NASA&#8217;s selection of the VERITAS mission inspired me to look for recent volcanic activity in Magellan data,&#8217;<\/strong> said Robert Herrick, a research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and member of the VERITAS science team, who led the search of the archival data. &#8216;I didn&#8217;t really expect to be successful, but <strong>after about 200 hours of manually comparing the images of different Magellan orbits,<\/strong> I saw two images of the same region taken eight months apart exhibiting telltale geological changes caused by an eruption.&#8217;&#8230;&#8221;<br>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-magellan-data-reveals-volcanic-activity-on-venus\">NASA\u2019s Magellan Data Reveals Volcanic Activity on Venus <\/a>&#8220;&#8216; Ian J. O&#8217;Neill (JPL), Karen Fox\/Alana Johnson (NASA), Rod Boyce (University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute); Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech (March 15, 2023) [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, what Herrick and Hensley have shown, and what they figure they haven&#8217;t:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;<strong>On the basis of only one changed feature, we cannot determine how common currently active volcanism is on Venus.<\/strong> We draw a distinction between identifying recent volcanism on a planet and demonstrating that it is currently volcanically active. For example, Mars has lava flows with estimated ages of less than a few million years, but no volcanic activity has been identified over multiple decades of continuous observation. Only one changed feature has been identified in our survey of the Magellan data, and none have been found in kilometer-scale radar observations from Earth that covered ~25% of Venus\u2019 surface. <strong>The low detection rate indicates that Venus is less volcanically active than Jupiter\u2019s moon Io,<\/strong> for which over 100 active spots have been imaged. We estimate that our search of the Magellan data has examined ~1.5% of Venus&#8217; surface area&#8230;.&#8221;<br>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\">Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission<\/a>&#8220;; Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science (March 15, 2023) [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, about maps of Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I found a good set of high-resolution maps here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>LPI | Resources (USRA)<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpi.usra.edu\/resources\/venus_maps\/\">Resources &#8211; Venus Map Catalog<\/a><br>Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>(Acronym time: LPI is the Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA stands for Universities Space Research Association.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those maps were high-resolution, detailed, and included text in sidebars. But they were a tad too high-resolution for this blog. When I scaled the global projection down to something that would fit on this screen, most of the lettering was blurry. At best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I got the &#8220;Altimetry of Venus&#8221; map, designed for low-resolution displays, here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/resources\/2438\/pioneer-venus-orbiter-map-of-venus\/?category=planets_venus\">Pioneer Venus Orbiter Map of Venus<\/a><br>Venus Galleries, Solar System Exploration, NASA\/Ames\/U.S. Geological Survey\/Massachusetts Institute of Technology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Then I downloaded the LPI | Resources &#8220;Altimetric and Shaded Relief Map of Venus&#8221; and clipped out the east end of Aphrodite Terra and marked Maat Mons&#8217; location. It&#8217;s under <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#greater\">&#8220;Greater Admiration&#8221;<\/a>, the next heading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, Maat Mons is the mountain Herrick and Hensley studied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, about those names. Briefly, for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A terra is a landmass, or would be if Venus had an ocean. More than one terra are terrae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A mons is a mountain, more than one are montes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Montes and terrae are words from Latin, which we use because today&#8217;s naming conventions got started when Latin was a common language for European scholars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One more thing: Maat Mons is at 0.5\u00b0N 194.6\u00b0E.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/#9\">9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"greater\"><\/a>&#8220;Greater Admiration&#8221;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpi.usra.edu\/resources\/venus_maps\/1324\/index.html\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230103ff\/20230324-I-1324_150-detail-MaatMonsArea-marked-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Detail, USGS Altimetric and Shaded Map of Venus from Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association Venus Map Catalog. (1981) location of Maat Mons marked with a red +. Used w\/o permission.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail, USGS Altimetric and Shaded Map of Venus. (1981) Maat Mons marked with red &#8220;+&#8221;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I had, and still have, more to say about Venus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I&#8217;ve run out of time this week, so that&#8217;ll wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/science-and-religion\/#seeking\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20160927-_89871030_heic1611c-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NASA\/ESA's image: Galaxy UGC 9391, which contains two types of stars astronomers use to calculate distances: Cepheid variables and a Type Ia supernova, 2003du. (2016) via BBC News, used w\/o permission.\" align=\"right\"><\/a>I&#8217;ll wrap this up by repeating something I haven&#8217;t said in a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We live in a universe that&#8217;s packed with wonders, beauty and harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These wonders and beauty include, I think, places like Venus: which aren&#8217;t obviously beautiful in the picture-postcard sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe it&#8217;s the nerd in me, but I see a sort of beauty in the way physical laws produce so many different \u2014 yet similar \u2014 landscapes and weather on other worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That strikes me as a reason for &#8220;greater admiration&#8221; of God&#8217;s work. And since I see reflections of God&#8217;s beauty \u2014 and might \u2014 in this world, learning more about God&#8217;s creation inspires greater respect for God. It also reminds me that God&#8217;s God and I&#8217;m not. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 268ff, 283, 341)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More-or-less related posts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/galaxies-gravity-and-a-hot-terrestrial-planet\/\">Galaxies, Gravity and a Hot Terrestrial Planet<\/a>&#8220;<br>(February 25, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/exoplanets-iron-evolution-and-strange-geochemistry\/\">Exoplanets, Iron, Evolution and Strange Geochemistry<\/a>&#8220;<br>(January 22, 2022)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/\">A Star by Any Other Name, and a Galilean Interlude<\/a>&#8220;<br>(November 13, 2021)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/arecibo-radio-telescope-1963-2020\/\">Arecibo Radio Telescope 1963-2020<\/a>&#8220;<br>(November 21, 2020)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/kic-8462852-and-strange-stars\/\">KIC 8462852 and Strange Stars<\/a>&#8220;<br>(December 2, 2016)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> History and a little science:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ammi-Saduqa\">Ammi-Saduqa<\/a> (Ammisaduqa)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Celestial_sphere\">Celestial sphere<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chinese_astronomy\">Chinese astronomy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Classical_planet\">Classical planet<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fixed_stars\">Fixed stars<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Historicity_of_the_Homeric_epics\">Historicity of the Homeric epics<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inanna\">Inanna<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hesiod\">Hesiod<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hesperus\">Hesperus<\/a> (Venus as the evening star)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jemdet_Nasr_period\">Jemdet Nasr period<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Late_Bronze_Age_collapse\">Late Bronze Age collapse<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Minoan_civilization\">Minoan civilization<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mycenaean_Greece\">Mycenaean Greece<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Old_Babylonian_Empire\">Old Babylonian Empire<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Phosphorus_(morning_star)\">Phosphorus (morning star)<\/a> (Venus)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Planet\">Planet<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stonehenge\">Stonehenge<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thirteenth_Dynasty_of_Egypt\">Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus_tablet_of_Ammisaduqa\">Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As I see it\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-roman-founding-myth-and-aeneas-action-hero\/\">A Roman Founding Myth and Aeneas, Action Hero<\/a>&#8221; (May 28, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-roman-founding-myth-and-aeneas-action-hero\/#forgetting\">Forgetting, and Rediscovering, Troy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-roman-founding-myth-and-aeneas-action-hero\/#end\">The End of Civilization as They Knew It: Death, Destruction and Then the Greek Dark Ages<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sifting-through-the-ash-heap-of-history\/\">Sifting Through the Ash Heap of History<\/a>&#8221; (October 30, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sifting-through-the-ash-heap-of-history\/#ancient\">Ancient Empires and an Apocalypse We Nearly Forgot<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sifting-through-the-ash-heap-of-history\/#late\">Late Bronze Age Collapse: Unburied Corpses, Lost Records<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#patterns\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170501ff\/20170714-Arcimboldo_Librarian_Stokholm-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Giuseppe Arcimboldo's 'Portr\u00e4tt, karikatyr:' portrait of Wolfgang Lazius. (1562) Photo by Samuel Uhrdin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.\" align=\"right\"><\/a><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> Ptolemy, pareidolia and pulp fiction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Abd_al-Rahman_al-Sufi\">Abd al-Rahman al Sufi<\/a> (or \u02bfAbd ar-Rahman as-Sufi, \u02bfAbd al-Rahman Abu al-Husayn, \u02bfAbdul Rahman Sufi, or \u02bfAbdurrahman Sufi&#8230;.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aristotelian_physics\">Aristotelian physics<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Celestial_sphere\">Celestial sphere<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Conjunction_(astronomy)\">Conjunction (astronomy)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gan_De\">Gan De<\/a> (or Gan Gong)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Geocentric_model\">Geocentric model<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_astronomy\">History of astronomy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_US_science_fiction_and_fantasy_magazines_to_1950\">History of US science fiction and fantasy magazines to 1950<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_William_Draper\">John William Draper<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Man_in_the_Moon\">Man in the Moon<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Martian_canals\">Martian canals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mikhail_Lomonosov\">Mikhail Lomonosov<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Optical_illusion\">Optical illusion<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pareidolia\">Pareidolia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ptolemy\">Ptolemy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pulp_magazine\">Pulp magazine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Transit_of_Venus\">Transit of Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Troxler%27s_fading\">Troxler&#8217;s fading<\/a> (optical illusion)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Martian canals, patterns and perceptions; my view(s)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/\">A Star by Any Other Name, and a Galilean Interlude<\/a>&#8221; (November 13, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#patterns\">Patterns in the Sky<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/exploring-mars-looking-for-life-and-still-learning\/\">Exploring Mars, Looking for Life: and Still Learning<\/a>&#8221; (February 14, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/exploring-mars-looking-for-life-and-still-learning\/#lowells\">Lowell&#8217;s Canals, Mariner 4&#8217;s Craters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/\">Finding New Worlds<\/a>&#8221; (October 13, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#lowell\">Lowell&#8217;s &#8220;Canals&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#barsoom\">Barsoom, Amtor, and Science<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#lowellian\">Lowellian Drama<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#pareidolia\">Pareidolia and Percival Lowell<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"3\"><\/a>3<\/sup> Scanning Venus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lowell_Observatory\">Lowell Observatory<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Percival_Lowell\">Percival Lowell<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vesto_M._Slipher\">Vesto M. Slipher<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasonline.org\/publications\/biographical-memoirs\/memoir-pdfs\/slipher-vesto.pdf\">Vesto Melvin Slipher, 1875-1969<\/a>&#8220;<br>A Biographical Memoir by William Graves Hoyt, National Academy of Sciences (1980) via nasonline.org<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/adsabs.harvard.edu\/full\/1890PASP....2..246H\">On the Rotation Time of the Planet Venus<\/a>&#8220;<br>Professor G. V. Schiaparelli, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (September 1890) via The SAO\/NASA Astrophysics Data System<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"4\"><\/a>4<\/sup> Mapping Venus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alpha_Regio\">Alpha Regio<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Arecibo_Observatory\">Arecibo Observatory<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Beta_Regio\">Beta Regio<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maxwell_Montes\">Maxwell Montes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Radar_astronomy\">Radar astronomy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%9Ajpest\">\u00dajpest<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zolt%C3%A1n_Lajos_Bay\">Zolt\u00e1n Lajos Bay<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/BF03157089\">30th Anniversary of Zolt\u00e1n Bay&#8217;s Pioneer Lunar Radar Investigations and Modern Radar Astronomy<\/a>&#8220;<br>P. Vajda, J. A. White; Acta Physica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae (February 1976) via Springer Link<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/BF03161123.pdf\">Reflection of Microwaves From the Moon<\/a>&#8220;<br>Z. Bay; Hungarica Acta Physica (received November 18, 1946; published January 1947) via Springer Link<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.frankwu.com\/Paul-listing4.html\">Back Cover Artwork<\/a>, Gallery of Frank R. Paul&#8217;s Artwork<br>FankWu Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy Art (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.frankwu.com\/\">frankwu.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Venus as imagined in pulp science fiction\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/\">Finding New Worlds<\/a>&#8221; (October 13, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/finding-new-worlds\/#venus\">Venus, Imagined<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"5\"><\/a>5<\/sup> Missions to Venus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mariner_2\">Mariner 2<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mariner_10\">Mariner 10<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pioneer_Venus_Orbiter\">Pioneer Venus Orbiter<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venera_4\">Venera 4<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venera_9\">Venera 9<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NASA\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/pioneer-venus\/\">The Pioneer Venus Project<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov\/planetary\/pioneer_venus.html\">Pioneer Venus Project Information<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"6\"><\/a>6<\/sup> More-or-less about Magellan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inertial_Upper_Stage\">Inertial Upper Stage<\/a> (launched Magellan toward Venus)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Magellan_(spacecraft)\">Magellan (spacecraft)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster\">Space Shuttle Challenger disaster<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/STS-30\">STS-30<\/a> (carrying Inertial Upper Stage and Magellan spacecraft)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus\">Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus_Orbiting_Imaging_Radar\">Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NASA\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov\/planetary\/magellan.html\">Magellan Mission to Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov\/nmc\/experiment\/display.action?id=1989-033B-01\">Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)<\/a>, Magellan (1989)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthdata.nasa.gov\/learn\/backgrounders\/what-is-sar\">What is SAR?<\/a>, mostly from &#8220;The SAR Handbook: Comprehensive Methodologies for Forest Monitoring and Biomass Estimation&#8221; (2019) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.servirglobal.net\/Global\/Articles\/Article\/2674\/sar-handbook-comprehensive-methodologies-for-forest-monitoring-and-biomass-estimation\">www.servirglobal.net\/Global\/Articles\/Article\/2674\/sar-handbook-comprehensive-methodologies-for-forest-monitoring-and-biomass-estimation<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"7\"><\/a>7<\/sup> Maat Mons and Magellan images:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maat_Mons\">Maat Mons<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Methane\">Methane<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sulfur_dioxide\">Sulfur dioxide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\">Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission<\/a>&#8220;<br>Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science (March 15, 2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"8\"><\/a>8<\/sup> Venusian volcanoes, indirect evidence and recent developments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atmosphere_of_Venus\">Atmosphere of Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Venus_Express\">Venus Express<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/VERITAS_(spacecraft)\">VERITAS (spacecraft)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/venus-proof-of-active-volcanoes-at-last-201931\">Venus: proof of active volcanoes \u2014 at last<\/a>&#8220;<br>David Rothery (Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University), The Conversation (March 16, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-magellan-data-reveals-volcanic-activity-on-venus\">NASA&#8217;s Magellan Data Reveals Volcanic Activity on Venus<\/a>&#8220;<br>NASA\/JPL-Caltech (March 15, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.abm7735\">Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission<\/a>&#8220;<br>Robert R. Herrick, Scott Hensley; Science (March 15, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/evidence-active-volcano-venus\">Evidence of an Active Volcano on Venus<\/a>&#8220;<br>NASA Science (January 14, 2020)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ESA (European Space Agency) Venus Express\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Venus_Express\/Have_Venusian_volcanoes_been_caught_in_the_act\">Have Venusian volcanoes been caught in the act?<\/a>&#8221; (March 12, 2021)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Venus_Express\/Hot_lava_flows_discovered_on_Venus\">Hot lava flows discovered on Venus<\/a>&#8221; (June 18, 2015)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Venus_Express\/Venus_is_alive_geologically_speaking\">Venus is alive \u2013 geologically speaking<\/a>&#8221; (August 4, 2010)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/1988JGR....93.5267E\/abstract\">Sulfur dioxide at the Venus cloud tops, 1978 &#8211; 1986.<\/a>&#8220;<br>L. W. Esposito, M. Copley, R. Eckert, L. Gates, A. I. F.Stewart, H. Worden; Abstract, Journal of Geophysical Research (May 1988) via The SAO\/NASA Astrophysics Data System<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"9\"><\/a>9<\/sup> Naming conventions and Venusian features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_geological_features_on_Venus\">List of geological features on Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_montes_on_Venus\">List of montes on Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_terrae_on_Venus\">List of terrae on Venus<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maat_Mons\">Maat Mons<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Planetary_nomenclature\">Planetary nomenclature<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordreference.com\/display\/10.1093\/oi\/authority.20110803095418746;jsessionid=ACAF12649EBD6795FAAD951E591585B6\">Aphrodite Terra<\/a><br>Oxford Reference<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov\/Feature\/317\">Aphrodite Terra<\/a>, PDF maps of Venus<br>Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, USGS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I&#8217;ve talked about names and astronomy before\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/\">A Star by Any Other Name, and a Galilean Interlude<\/a>\u201d (November 13, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#one\">One Star, Many Names: Canicula, Mrgavyadha, BD-16\u00b01591\u2026<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#old\">Old and New Names<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-star-by-any-other-name-and-a-galilean-interlude\/#designations\">Designations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Venus is dead as a doornail as far as life is concerned. Life as we know it, at any rate, and already I&#8217;m drifting off-topic. Geologically, though, we&#8217;ve known that there&#8217;s still metaphorical life in Venus. Or was, until very &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/active-volcano-on-venus-before-and-after-images\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Views of Venus, from ancient Mesopotamia to pulp science fiction. Indirect evidence of Venusian volcanoes, and now images of a changing volcanic vent.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Active Volcano on Venus: Before and After Images of Maat Mons","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,4],"tags":[38,113,27,41,22,40,39],"class_list":["post-6783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discursive-detours","category-science-news","tag-astronomy","tag-geology","tag-history","tag-planets","tag-science","tag-solar-planets","tag-space-exploration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-1Lp","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6783"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6819,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6783\/revisions\/6819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}