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Published September 27, 1991 | public
Journal Article

Images from Galileo of the Venus Cloud Deck

Abstract

Images of Venus taken at 418 (violet) and 986 [near-infrared (NIR)] nanometers show that the morphology and motions of large-scale features change with depth in the cloud deck. Poleward meridional velocities, seen in both spectral regions, are much reduced in the NIR. In the south polar region the markings in the two wavelength bands are strongly anticorrelated. The images follow the changing state of the upper cloud layer downwind of the subsolar point, and the zonal flow field shows a longitudinal periodicity that may be coupled to the formation of large-scale planetary waves. No optical lightning was detected.

Additional Information

© 1991 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Revision received 21 June 1991; Accepted for publication 29 July 1991. We gratefully acknowledge an internal review of the manuscript by G. Schubert and the assistance of H. Breneman, B. Carcich, C. Cunningham, E. DeJong, S. Howell, B. Paczkowski, T. Thompson, A Toigo, and L Wainio in the planning and execution of the SSI experiment and the subsequent reduction of the data.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 24, 2023