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The Structure of Venus Clouds—Summary
Author(s) -
Rasool S. I.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/rs005i002p00367
Subject(s) - attenuation , venus , radio occultation , occultation , atmosphere (unit) , atmosphere of venus , altitude (triangle) , physics , line (geometry) , atmospheric sciences , geology , ionosphere , computational physics , optics , astrophysics , environmental science , meteorology , astronomy , geometry , mathematics , astrobiology
The analysis of the Mariner‐5 radio occultation data has resulted in significant new information on the structure of cloud layers in the lower atmosphere of Venus. Figure 1 shows the Mariner‐5 signal attenuation as a function of altitude recorded during the occultation experiment. The solid line marked ‘CO 2 defocusing’ shows the anticipated attenuation calculated with the assumption that the atmosphere is mainly composed of CO 2 and that the atmospheric defocusing is the only cause of attenuation. The observational curve in the figure differs from the calculated curve in two respects: (1) the observed attenuation is considerably greater than that anticipated at altitudes below 52 km; and (2) although the theoretical curve is smooth, the measured attenuation shows a structure with sharp changes in slope and several peaks.