Magellan: Electrical and Physical Properties of Venus' Surface

Creators: Tyler, G. Leonard; Ford, Peter G.; Campbell, Donald B.; Elachi, Charles; Pettengill, Gordon H.; Simpson, Richard A.

Abstract

Magellan probes Venus' surface by 12.6-cm-wavelength vertical and oblique radar scattering and measures microwave thermal emission. Emissivity and root-meansquare slope maps between 330° and 30°E and 90°N and 80°S are dissimilar, although some local features are exceptions. Inferred surface emissivities typically are ∼0.85, but vary from ∼0.35 at Maxwell to ∼0.95 northeast of Gula Mons and other locations. Lowest emissivities appear in topographically high areas; this relation suggests that a phase change or differences in chemical weathering occur at about 6055-kilometer radius. Initial results indicate that there are significant variations in the surface scattering function.

Additional Information

© 1991 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 8 January 1991; accepted 14 March 1991. This work has been made possible by the dedicated efforts of many people associated with the Magellan Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at the authors' home institutions. We especially thank W. T. K. Johnson and P. Graf. We also thank F. Liu, J. Quigley, and M. Maurer.

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Magellan: Electrical and Physical Properties of Venus' Surface

Abstract

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