Wind phenomenon on Venus

One thing everyone knows is that the wind is extremely fast and strong on Venus. Currently, the ESA Venus Express probe for the first time builds a three-dimensional image of the wind for an entire hemisphere region.

Venus Express takes a favorable trajectory around this planet and a unique set of tools. The ship has the ability to carefully observe the thick layers of atmosphere and get a true formation on this planet.

The satellite has been continuously monitoring the planet since 2006, and scientists now have enough data to begin building a complete picture of Venus's atmospheric phenomenon.

Spectrophotometer VIRTIS is studying dense cloud layers around Venus, and collecting wind data. The area studied ranges from 45 to 70 km above the surface and covers the southern hemisphere to the equator.

It is the position where the probe satellite reaches the highest position in its orbit (about 66,000km), allowing tools to collect panorama data.

The image simulates the circulation of wind on Venus.

Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, from Universidad delPais Vasco in Bilbao, Spain, led the research team on setting up 3-dimensional wind maps with data from the first observation years of VIRTIS."We focus on the clouds and their shifting. Keeping track of them for a long time gives us accurate information about the wind speed that makes the clouds move and the wind change. " he said.

Observing clouds of different heights is feasible when the tool is able to see through obstacles. "VIRTIS operates at different steps, each wavelength will see through the clouds to another height," said Ricardo Hueso from Universidad, co-author of the study.

"We have studied three layers of atmosphere and have observed the movement of hundreds of clouds on each floor. This has not been done before on a large scale."

In total, the group followed 625 clouds at a height of 66km, 662 at a height of 61 km, and 932 at a height of 45-47km, at day and night. Single clouds are taken within a few months about 1-2 hours each time.

"We learned that between the equator and 50-55 degrees south, the wind speed varies a lot, from about 370 km / h in the 66km to 210 km / h high at 45-47km altitude , " Sanchez- Lavega said.

Sanchez and his colleagues found that the speed of regional winds depends heavily on the time there.

Difference in solar heat to Venus in the morning and evening - called the solar tide effect - affects the dynamics of the atmosphere very large, making the wind more powerful in the evening.

On average, the wind regained its initial speed within 5 days, but the mechanism of this cycle was further studied.

"VIRTIS will continue for its observations, and within the next few years, we hope to understand more accurately how the stability and change of wind at low and high clouds , " concludes. by Giuseppe Piccioni from the National Astronomical Institute in Rome, Italy.

The article was provided by reader Tran Ba ​​Hoang Long.
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