[X] My Assistant

[ncc1701d]

I was wondering.
If Venus reflects 70 percent of the sunlight that hits it.
If I was in spaceship on approach to that planet could I look at it with the naked eye out the window and not get blinded?
Would I have to at least use sunglasses?

I am wondering to how much brightness reduction is going on when processing the images before they are release to public or analized.
thanks

[dvandorn]

I'd just like to bring into this conversation the experience of the guys who have dealt with something similar -- those who went to the Moon.

Now, the Moon is a lot darker than Venus, by something like an order of magnitude. It reflects a lot less light. But astronauts who operated in orbit around it, or on its surface, regularly wore sunglasses, and skipped the sunglasses at their own peril.

As one example, John Young, on Apollo 16, decided he didn't need sunglasses when preparing for ascent from the lunar surface, and ended up riding into orbit in an almost completely sun-blinded condition. Per his own statements in debriefing, Young couldn't really see anything during ascent, and he blamed it on sun-blinding from the brightly illuminated surface. (Granted, the highlands site where Young and his LMP, Charlie Duke, had landed was of a higher albedo than other landing sites, but not that much higher.)

So, if the Moon can cause sun-blindness in those who don't take the proper precautions, I can just imagine how much greater the problem would be in orbit around Venus.

-the other Doug