HR: 1340h
AN: P33A-0235 [Abstracts]
TI: The Venus Airglow
AU: * Sharpee, B D
EM: brian.sharpee@sri.com
AF: Molecular Physics Laboratory
SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025
United States
AU: Slanger, T G
EM: tom.slanger@sri.com
AF: Molecular Physics Laboratory
SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025
United States
AB:
Venus Express is scheduled to arrive at Venus in April, 2006, and atmospheric emissions will be studied with the SPICAV/SOIR
spectrometer, which is similar to the SPICAM spectrometer on board the Mars Express orbiter. Because both atmospheres are
predominantly CO2/N2, it is expected that emissions in the UV will be similar. Mars Express has already shown that the
predominant 200-300 nm nightglow emission is from excited states of NO, as is known for Venus from the Pioneer Venus
mission. From Mars Express, the presence of O(1S) from its nightglow emission at 297.2 nm is somewhat ambiguous, although
in the dayglow this emission is strong, as shown earlier by the Mariner missions. Because it is now known that Venus
O(1S-1D) emission at 557.7 nm can be as strong as the terrestrial green line, although very variable, we expect that
Venus Express will be able to make observations of the O(1S-3P) 297.2 nm line, and measure its seasonal and spatial
variations. The SOIR instrument measures the IR emissions to a blue cut-off of 700 nm. Thus, it is hoped that emission of
the O2 Atmospheric 0-0 band at 762 nm is discernible, as well as the weak O2 Herzberg II and Chamberlain bands above
700 nm. The very variable O2 IR Atmospheric 0-0 band emission at 1270 nm should be easily observable.
DE: 5405 Atmospheres (0343, 1060)
DE: 6295 Venus
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005