At the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Red Bull team took under two seconds to stop Verstappen’s car, change all four tires, and send him on his way. This is astonishing, especially considering how things have changed since the old days of Formula One when drivers had time to talk with their mechanics as their car was serviced. While the new record is impressive, it is also the third time the Formula One racing team Red Bull has set a new record this season.

The casual pit-stop chats were left in the past during the 1990s because the Benetton racing team started using the pit-stop to gain crucial time during the race and close the gap between their vehicle and their competitors. Back then, their pit stops lasted about six seconds, which now seems too long, considering the record set by the Red Bull team during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Still, back then, the team would have to refuel the car during the pit stop, something that is no longer required because Formula One banned refueling not too long ago.

Verstappen’s main opponent was Lewis Hamilton, and the pit stop was crucial in helping him beat the British champion. Hamilton had already gone through the pit, and it looked like he would win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. However, Verstappen’s mind-blowing pit stop happened very quickly, and the Dutch racer went right back to the track in less than two seconds. Still, Robert Kubica was released in front of Verstappen and obstructed his path.

After enduring the inconvenience of another driver in the pit, Verstappen ended up behind Hamilton but managed to make the first of his two passes on Hamilton about a lap later. Robert Kubica was eventually given a penalty for the pit stop mishap with Verstappen.

Scientists have managed to photograph the surface of Venus from space for the first time. Though the planet’s surface is concealed beneath thick layers of clouds, the telescopes aboard NASA’s Parker Solar Probe captured the first visible-light images of its surface taken from space. According to the Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, Lori Glaze, they have never before seen the surface of Venus through the clouds at visible wavelengths before.

The Parker Solar Probe Makes Regular Flybys of Venus to Tighten Its Orbit Around the Sun

Although the Parker Solar Probe was launched to study the sun, it has to make regular flybys of Venus in order to receive gravity tugs that tighten its orbit and brings it closer to the sun. Those gravity assists helped the spacecraft become the first probe to enter the atmosphere of the Sun. During two of those flybys in July 2020 and February 2021, the probe managed to capture the new images with its WISPR telescopes. Through the clouds on the nightside of the planet, the probe got images that show large-scale surface features like the vast highland region known as Aphrodite Terra.

The Photographs Show Venus to Be Glowing Hot Like Heated Iron

According to astrophysicist and co-author of the paper Brian Wood, the photographs revealed a planet so hot that it glowed like red-hot iron. He further explained that the pattern of bright and dark on the pictures was basically a temperature map with the brighter regions being hotter and darker ones – cooler. Wood confirmed that the temperature pattern that was observed correlated well with existing topographic maps produced from infrared and radar surveys. The distinct large-scale surface features were highlands that appeared dark and lowlands that were bright.

While the Parker Solar Probe WISPR instrument was designed to study the sun, it also happened to be able to detect an unanticipated window of light in the clouds above Venus. This fortuitous event allowed scientists to use the instrument to see through the clouds and get amazing new images. This was also fortunate because NASA is just getting ready to launch two Venus missions in the near future. The new photographs might help scientists with the interpretation of the observations that would be made during these new missions.