00:00 On this day in space.
00:03 On January 9th, 1643, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Ricchioli saw a weird glowing light on the night side of Venus.
00:11 He named it the Ashen Light of Venus.
00:14 Astronomers have seen it intermittently since then, while others who have looked for it have not been able to find it.
00:19 To this day, no one really knows what causes the Ashen Light.
00:22 At first, people wanted to attribute it to the optical quality of telescopes.
00:26 Today, many believe that the light is associated with lightning storms on Venus.
00:30 It could also be the result of solar radiation interacting with the atmosphere, similar to how auroras happen on Earth.
00:36 Whatever it is, it's been a scientific mystery for centuries.
00:40 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:43 (Music)
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