Projects

Vertical structure of the Venus cloud tops and the nature of the UV absorber

Vertical structure of the Venus cloud tops and the nature of the UV absorber

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany (from February 2006 to July 20007)

Advisors: Dimitri Titov, Wojciech Markiewicz, Horst Uwe Keller (Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research), Jürgen Blum (Technical University at Braunschweig)

Collaborators: Richard Moissl (MPS, de), Nuno Manoel (MPS,de/OAL, pt), Miguel Almeida (ESAC, ESA, es) and Nikolai Ignatiev (IKI, ru)

Abstract

  • Vertical structure of the upper haze from the limb observations
    • cloud top altitude, its variations with latitude and local solar time;
    • detached haze layers and statistics of their appearance;
    • correlation with SPICAV sounding of the upper haze in stellar occultations
  • Dynamical properties (e.g eddy diffusion) of the mesosphere derived from the limb observations.
  • Optical properties of the haze particles derived from the limb observations in the UV, visible and near-IR (VMC absolute calibration will be needed here).
  • Distribution of the UV absorber in the upper cloud from
    • phase dependence of the UV contrasts;
    • cloud top “altimetry” from near IR CO2 bands (VIRTIS).

Selected Publications

Russo et. al. — First results of the upper haze investigation by VMC Limb Observations

European Geophysical Union Congress

Wien, Austria — April 2007

Russo et. al. — First results of the upper haze investigation by VMC Limb Observations

Morond workshop

La Thuile, Italy — March 2007

Russo, et al. — Imaging of the Venus night side with the Venus Monitoring Camera onboard Venus Express

European Planetary Science Congress

Berlin, Germany — September 2006

Planeta Vénus (The Planet Venus)

Portal do Astrónomo

May 2006

Selected Links