VIRTIS

Through these ‘windows’ thermal radiation at specific wavelengths can leak from the deepest atmospheric layers, pass through the dense cloud curtain situated at about 60 kilometres altitude, and then escape to space, where it can be detected by instruments like VIRTIS.

Hell Is On Venus Staq Mavlen 2006

Through these ‘windows’ thermal radiation at specific wavelengths can leak from the deepest atmospheric layers, pass through the dense cloud curtain situated at about 60 kilometres altitude, and then escape to space, where it can be detected by instruments like VIRTIS.

Archive 2006-12-01 Staq Mavlen 2006

In this way VIRTIS succeeded in looking through the thick carbon dioxide curtain surrounding Venus and detected the heat directly emitted by the hot rocks on the ground.

Hell Is On Venus Staq Mavlen 2006

In this way VIRTIS succeeded in looking through the thick carbon dioxide curtain surrounding Venus and detected the heat directly emitted by the hot rocks on the ground.

Archive 2006-12-01 Staq Mavlen 2006

Venus, as seen with the VIRTIS instrument on ESA's Venus Express (left) and NASA's Magellan spacecraft (right).

Technology 2010

In the 8 April issue of Science, Suzanne Smrekar, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and co-authors report on an investigation into the surface properties of Venusian hot spots in which they have overlaid the emissivity maps from VIRTIS on radar images and topographical maps of the surface of Venus, and concentrated their attention on the emissivity data from the hot-spot areas.

Technology 2010

The reported analysis of the VIRTIS data by Smrekar's team indicates that a number of lava flows on Venus are very young, and that most likely the planet is currently volcanically active.

Technology 2010

Here, and in particular around three of the hot spots (Imdr, Themis and Dione Regiones), VIRTIS data show anomalously high emissivity values.

Technology 2010

The Venus Express Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) measures the spectral emissivity of the surface of Venus in a waveband (around 1 micron) that is weakly absorbed by the atmosphere of the planet.

Technology 2010

Emissivity measurements carried out with the VIRTIS instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft indicate that Venus has been volcanically active in recent geological times.

Technology 2010