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Massive Gravity Wave has Spotted in Venus’ Atmosphere (+Video)
A Japanese spacecraft has spotted a massive gravity wave in Venus’ atmosphere.
Venus is covered in a thick atmosphere, with clouds of sulphuric acid moving westwards faster than the planet itself rotates. But among this fast-moving atmosphere scientists have discovered a mysterious ‘sideways smile’ on its surface stretching 6,200 miles (10,000 km) across.
The stationary patch could be a giant wave caused by the gravity from mountains below, the first of its kind to be observed on the planet, according to a new study published on January 16th.
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2873.html
Researchers from the Rikkyo University in Tokyo studied the bow-shaped patch, after it was spotted in December 2015.
‘The most surprising feature of the bow is that it stayed at almost same geographical position despite the background atmospheric super-rotation, the uniform westward wind of which the maximum speed is 100 metres/second at the cloud-top altitudes,’ researchers say.
But exactly why the bow stayed still when the rest of Venus’ atmosphere moves so quickly continues to puzzle scientists.
The Verge
http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/16/14264886/japanese-spacecraft-akatsuki-gravity-wave-venus-atmosphere
JAXA
http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2015/12/20151207_akatsuki.html
Clips, images credit: Planet-C, JAXA & NASA
