Submitting photos of Venus easier

A new Web interface makes it possible for everyone to submit their pictures of the planet.Provided by ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands
By | Published: November 5, 2007 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

This is an artist’s impression of Venus Express orbiting Venus. Images can be submitted by everyone to complement the observations of the Venus Express.
ESA
November 5, 2007
Whether you’re an amateur or a professional astronomer, it is now easier to help Venus Express by submitting your pictures via a newly launched Web interface.

Since the Venus Amateur Observing Project (VAOP) was launched in March 2006, your images and data taken from the ground have been complementing Venus Express observations.

With your observations, anyone can provide routine imaging of Venus during each appearance and also complement spacecraft observations at certain times during the mission. The upgraded tool has been made public on October 29th. The tool works such that any data can be useful right away for scientists, without much work beforehand.

ESA’s Venus Express scientists want to specially encourage amateurs to help. This is because although professionals are equipped with state-of-the-art telescopes, they only have limited observing time. These days, amateurs are also able to take excellent images.

This false-colour ultraviolet view is one of the first-ever images of the southern hemisphere of Venus, showing the day and night sides over the South pole. It was taken on 12 April 2006 by the Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) onboard Venus Express.
ESA/Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The Web interface performs some simple checks on data consistency and whatever you submit then becomes visible on the ‘recent submissions’ page.

The VAOP is aimed at obtaining high-quality images of Venus during and after Venus Express operations, which started in May 2006. A new, simpler Web-based interface, called the Venus ground-based Active Archive (VAA), is now available for you to upload your pictures. Given its design, it is very easy for both amateurs and professionals to contribute to the project.

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