The largest ever quest for atmospheric wave patterns on the night side of Venus, and a new window onto vertical winds, are the two recent major insights into the super rotating cloud level of the planet, made by researchers of the Instituto de Astrofisica e Ciencias do Espaco (IA).

13th May 2021 - On a slow rotating planet such as Venus, but with constant winds beyond the most devastating hurricanes on Earth, any light breeze might be part of the key to the puzzling "super-rotation"1 of its atmosphere.

Now, two studies led by researchers of the Instituto de Astrofisica e Ciencias do Espaco (IA) contribute to the ongoing endeavour to understand what makes Venus' airy shell spin so fast.

A study led by Jose Silva, of IA and Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa (Ciencias ULisboa), published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, searched for wave patterns in the lower clouds, at around an altitude of 47 kilometres, in more than 5500 images from the archives of two space missions to the planet.

It is the largest ever quest for atmospheric waves on the night side of Venus, and is now a database that may hint at what is creating them.

Related Links
Going up is the new move on Venus
Venus Express News and Venusian Science

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NASA's Parker Solar Probe Discovers Natural Radio Emission in Venus' Atmosphere
Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 04, 2021
During a brief swing by Venus, NASA's Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal that revealed the spacecraft had flown through the planet's upper atmosphere. This was the first direct measurement of the Venusian atmosphere in nearly 30 years - and it looks quite different from Venus past. A study published Monday confirms that Venus' upper atmosphere undergoes puzzling changes over a solar cycle, the Sun's 11-year activity cycle. This marks the latest clue to untangling how and why Venus and Ea ... read more