Research report 2008 - Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Beyond the clouds: News from Venus
Authors
Titov, Dimitri; Markiewicz, Wojciech; Fränz, Markus
Departments
Physik der Planeten und Kometen (Prof. Dr. Ulrich Christensen)
MPI für Sonnensystemforschung, Katlenburg-Lindau
Summary
After many years of exploration of planet Venus by sovjet and american spacecraft a large number of questions about history and structure of the planet and its atmosphere remained open. In 2005 the first European mission to planet Venus was launched: Venus Express – with a strong contribution by the MPI for Solar System Research. First analyses of the data received since 2006 show a previously unimagined structuring and dynamics of the cloud layers and allow new conclusions about the evolution of the atmosphere of Venus.