Counting down to the Transit of Venus - our nearest exoplanet test-lab

The transit of Venus, i.e. the passage of Venus in front of the Sun, is a rare event which will happen on 5-6 June 2012. This last transit of Venus of the 21st century will give scientists two important opportunities for science : firstly, to use Venus as an example of a transiting exoplanet. Astronomers will use the transit to test the techniques they have developed to analyse the composition, structure and dynamics of exoplanetary atmospheres. Secondly, they will be able to make simultaneous Earth- and space-based observations of Venus’ atmosphere. These joint observations will give new insights into the complex middle layer of Venus’ atmosphere, a key to understanding the climatology of our sister planet. ’This transit of Venus will be the last of our lifetime and will give a unique opportunity to closely observe an Earth-like planet passing in front of a Sun-like star,’ said Dr Thomas Widemann of the Observatoire de Paris, who is co-organiser of the workshop.

Figure 1 : La lumière solaire réfractée observée durant la sortie du disque de Vénus du soleil, lors du passage de juin 2004 à l’aide (a) du satellite TRACE de la NASA, (b) du télescope DOT de La Palma (c) observé à l’aide d’un coronographe au sol utilisant une lunette de 9 cm d’ouverture (Pasachoff et al. 2011 ; Tanga et al., 2012). Dans (b) on remarque les variations de la dimension et de l’intensité de l’auréole en fonction du temps. Cliquer sur les images pour les agrandir (àgauche, un film)

’Corot, Kepler have confronted us with the discoveries of more and more super-earth sized planets. Venus and Earth are sister planets, yet Venus evolved in a dramatic, different way. If Venus were an extrasolar transiting planet, what would we learn about its physical characteristics ? What would we miss or misinterpret ? We will use Venus transit observations to characterize the spectral signature of Venus, and test the detection limits of gases in the atmosphere,’ said Widemann. The transit also gives a rare opportunity to study the atmosphere of Venus from Earth. As Venus appears to make contact with the edge of the Sun’s disk, it becomes outlined by a thin arc of light, called the aureole. This aureole is caused by light refracted through Venus’ atmosphere and is 10-100 times fainter than the visible surface of the Sun. The brightness and thickness of the aureole depends on the density and temperature of the atmosphere and the altitude of the atmospheric layers above Venus’ cloud tops.

Figure 2 : (à gauche ) Vénus (disque gris sombre) vue depuis la Terre, lorsqu’elle se situe à la fois devant le soleil et le fond du ciel. A l’élement de surface dS correspond l’image réfractée dS’ de longueur l and largeur dr’, du fait de la réfraction atmosphérique de Vénus. (à droite) : Geometrie de la réfraction par l’atmosphère de Vénus, vue de profil. Les dimensions et les angles ont été exagérés pour la clarté de la figure (Tanga et al., 2012). Cliquer sur les images pour les agrandir

’We didn’t know until 2004 that the aureole could be easily observed and had science value,’ said Dr Paolo Tanga of Observatoire de Nice, who led the study. ’From three sets of observations in 2004 we have been able to build up a model of the aureole for the first time.’ Spatially resolved observations along the curve of the aureole will allow the scientists to work out whether atmospheric phenomena observed by the European Space Agency’s satellite Venus Express, which has been orbiting Venus since 2006, are associated with variations in time or are dependent on latitude. Widemann explained, ’We need ground-based observations to understand the rapid variations we see in Venus Express data. At the time of the transit, we can simultaneously measure the temperature structure at all latitudes from pole to pole, along the terminator, and allow a detailed comparison with Venus Express measurements’. Tanga, Widemann and colleagues are building a set of eight coronographs, each working in a different wavelength, to monitor the aureole during the June transit. The coronographs, assembled in OCA, will be used in locations around the world where the transit will be most observable (Svalbard in Europe, far East, the US West Coast, Australia). The observations will be compared with data from other ground-based observatories, as well as Venus Express and the Hubble Space Telescope.

Figure 3 : Un coronographe conçu spécialement pour l’imagerie à haute résolution spatiale de l’auréole de Vénus à l’immersion et l’émersion est en cours de construction à l’Observatoire de la Côte-d’Azur. Il sera déployé dans les régions d’observation du phénomène (Svalbard en Europe, Extrême-Orient, la côte ouest US et l’Australie). Les observations seront comparées aux données d’observations au sol et spatiales (Vénus Express, HST). Cliquer sur les images pour les agrandir

Although the aureole was first reported by observers in 1761, the transit in 2004 was the first time it could be photographed. ’The transits are an interesting marker of mankind’s technological advances.,’ said Widemann. ’In the eighteenth century, pendulum clock allowed accurate timings during a Venus transit — o measure the Astronomical Unit. In the 19th century, we had a new tool in photography. In the 21st century, we are able to observe the phenomenon from space and from Earth at the same time. It would be interesting to know what tools will be available in the 22nd century !’

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Reference Sunlight refraction in the mesosphere of Venus during the transit on June 8th 2004.

P. Tanga, T.Widemann, B. Sicardy, J.M. Pasachoff, J. Arnaud, L. Comolli, A. Rondi, S. Rondi, P. Sutterlin 2012, Icarus 218, 207-219. Contact Thomas Widemann (Observatoire de Paris-LESIA, CNRS)

Dernière modification le 4 mars 2013