Venus’ perpetually overcast skies had long obscured our view of the planet, making it appear nearly featureless when viewed in the visible light spectrum. But when viewed through Mariner 10’s ultraviolet-filtered camera lens, the second planet from the Sun can be seen in unprecedented detail. See what Venus looks like normally below. [NASA]
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How do we know that there are mountains on Venus? It is completely blanketed by high-level clouds and, at visible wavelengths, we cannot see its surface at all. Here is indirect proof for their existence.
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This looks like your brain on drugs, but it’s actually a rare solar eclipse from last June in which Venus moved between the Sun and the Earth the way the Moon usually does. Venus looked like a thinner and thinner crescent until it was perfectly aligned with the Sun, creating a Venusian annular eclipse with a ring of fire. The Solar Dynamics Observatory imaged the Sun in three colors of UV light, producing data for this image. The next Venusian solar eclipse will occur in 2117, so you’ll have time to enjoy this photo for awhile before it’s challenged by something even crazier. [APOD]
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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Chinese spy drone! Oh, and there’s another one! That’s what the Indian Army must’ve thought when they saw two specks of something "spying on them" in the sky. Instead, what India thought were Chinese spy drones turned out to be… Jupiter and Venus.
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It’s kind of hard to scope things out on Venus because the surface probes we send get obliterated pretty quickly by the heat. Pictures of Venus’ surface do exist, though, and this one shows "large circular domes" that look pretty darn hot. The domes are thought to be magma erupting through vents, in a process that happens on Earth too, called volcanism. Get it? Volcanoes? Get it? Okay. Moving on.
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Mariner 10 took the first close-up photo of Venus on February 5, 1974. It’s still the best and most mesmerizing. More »
Panasonic’s forthcoming mirror-less multimedia wonder has been given a release date. Yep, the Lumix GH3, with its ‘unlimited recording time’ and magnesium alloy build, will arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun just over a month from now. While the Japanese press release doesn’t specify pricing, you can expect this Lumix to arrive in body-only and two lens kit variants, one with a 12-35mm f/2.8 zoom lens, and another with a f/4.0 – 5.8 rig. Behind those optic options (not to mention the ability to capture 72Mbps 60p video), you’ll be getting a 16-megapixel sensor, splash-proof shell and a flip-out OLED touchscreen alongside a 614K-dot viewfinder. If that leaked video sample piqued your interest, check out the full spec rundown at the source below.
Filed under: Cameras
Panasonic Lumix GH3 launches on December 13th, but pricing remains a mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Earth’s hotter, meaner twin is blowing hot and cold. This picture from Venus Express, the European Space Agency‘s planetary orbiter, shows Venus’s south pole in transition between day and night. More »
It’s not a secret in the least thanks to a video slip-up by Panasonic a few days ago, but today the company is ready to officially announce the successor to its venerable GH2, the Lumix DMC-GH3. This Micro-Four Thirds mirrorless shooter is nearly as big as some entry-level DSLRs, but it’s loaded with features to make up for it. Packed inside its dust- and splash-proof magnesium alloy body, you’ll find a 16.05-megapixel Live Mos sensor that’ll handle 200 to 12,800 ISO natively with extension from 125 to 25,600. Aiding it is Panasonic’s latest Venus engine, which enables 6 FPS burst shooting (20 in 4-megapixel mode).
Notably, Panasonic is pushing this as a “multimedia” shooter given its robust video features. Unlike many ILCs, the GH3 touts unlimited recording time, so you won’t be held back by the likes of the camera overheating — sadly, the approx. 29-minute recording restriction for PAL regions is in place however. You’ll be able to shoot in either MP4, MOV, AVCHD or AVCHD Progressive, with a maximum bandwidth of “72 Mbps (ALL-Intra) / 50 Mbps (IPB).” The formats can be recorded using frame rates of 24, 30 and 60p (excluding MOV and AVCHD), and you’ll even be able work with SMPTE time-codes for syncing footage easily in post production.
Gallery: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 hands-on
On back, there’s an articulating 3:2 614K-dot OLED touchscreen, which can be used for tap-focusing while recording video, along with a 16:9 1,744K-dot OLED view finder — both of which provide 100% frame coverage. Thanks to included WiFi connectivity, you’ll be able to control the camera from your mobile device — although, its HDMI out may be better suited for film-making. Along the side, there’s a duo 3.5mm jacks for monitoring and recording audio straight from the camera with a mic of your choosing or a Panasonic’s optional shotgun mic. Speaking of accessories, an F2.8 35-100mm lens will also be introduced with the camera, touting a dust- and splash-proof design. There’s no word on price just yet for the GH3 or its accessories, but we’re told the camera will hit shelves for a number shy of $2,000 when it’s released later this year. The unit we got eye-on time with was an admittedly rough and early build, but you can check it in detail at the gallery above while we get some more impressions at Photokina. You’ll also find extended details in the press release after the break.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Cameras
Panasonic’s GH3 mirrorless camera gets official: 16MP, WiFi and 72Mbps HD video in a ruggedized body (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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