| Summary: | High spectral resolution observations of Venus were obtained with the
TEXES instrument at NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility. These observations focus on a CO2
absorption feature at 791.4 cm-1 as the shape of this
absorption feature can be used to retrieve the vertical temperature profile
in Venus’ mesosphere. By scan-mapping the planet, we are able to build
up three-dimensional temperature maps of Venus’ atmosphere, covering one
Earth-facing hemisphere and an altitude range of 60–83 km. A temperature
map from February 12, 2019 clearly shows the three-dimensional structure
of a planetary-scale thermal wave. This wave pattern appears strongest in
the mid-latitudes of Venus, has a zonal wavenumber of 2–4 and the wave
fronts tilt eastward with altitude at an angle of 8–15 degrees per km. This is
consistent with a thermal tide propagating upwards from Venus’ upper cloud
decks. Ground-based observations provide the opportunity to study Venus’
temperature structure on an ongoing basis.
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