Pristine PSP/WISPR Observations of the Circumsolar Dust Ring near Venus's Orbit

Abstract The Parker Solar Probe mission (PSP) has completed seven orbits around the Sun. Wide-field Imager for (WISPR) on PSP consists of two visible light heliospheric imagers, which together image interplanetary medium between 13.°5 and 108° elongation. PSP/WISPR nominal science observing window occurs during solar encounters, take place when spacecraft (S/C) is within 0.25 au from During Orbit 3, an extended campaign took while transited 0.5 (during both inbound outbound orbit segments). operations implemented a variety 180° S/C rolls about S/C-Sun pointing axis window. vantage location, combined with different roll orientations, allowed us to unveil circumsolar dust density enhancement associated Venus’s orbit. Specifically, we observed excess brightness band 1% at its center over background zodiacal in all images obtained campaign. We explain this as due increase orbiting Sun close Venusian projected latitudinal extent ring estimated 0.043 ± 0.004 au, exhibiting average order 10%. Here, report characterize first comprehensive, pristine observations plane-of-sky projection almost full 360° longitudinal extension.