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Collection:
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NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Infrared Image of Low Clouds on Venus
Title
Infrared Image of Low Clouds on Venus
Title
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Original Caption Released with Image:
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This false-color image is a near-infrared map of lower-level clouds on the night side of Venus, obtained by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Galileo spacecraft as it approached the planet's night side on February 10, 1990. Bright slivers of sunlit high clouds are visible above and below the dark, glowing hemisphere. The spacecraft is about 100,000 kilometers (60,000 miles) above the planet. An infrared wavelength of 2.3 microns (about three times the longest wavelength visible to the human eye) was used. The map shows the turbulent, cloudy middle atmosphere some 50-55 kilometers (30- 33 miles) above the surface, 10-16 kilometers or 6-10 miles below the visible cloudtops. The red color represents the radiant heat from the lower atmosphere (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) shining through the sulfuric acid clouds, which appear as much as 10 times darker than the bright gaps between clouds. This cloud layer is at about -30 degrees Fahrenheit, at a pressure about 1/2 Earth's surface atmospheric pressure. Near the equator, the clouds appear fluffy and blocky; farther north, they are stretched out into East-West filaments by winds estimated at more than 150 mph, while the poles are capped by thick clouds at this altitude.
Original_Caption_Rel eased_with_Image
This false-color image is a near-infrared map of lower-level clouds on the night side of Venus, obtained by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Galileo spacecraft as it approached the planet's night side on February 10, 1990. Bright slivers of sunlit high clouds are visible above and below the dark, glowing hemisphere. The spacecraft is about 100,000 kilometers (60,000 miles) above the planet. An infrared wavelength of 2.3 microns (about three times the longest wavelength visible to the human eye) was used. The map shows the turbulent, cloudy middle atmosphere some 50-55 kilometers (30- 33 miles) above the surface, 10-16 kilometers or 6-10 miles below the visible cloudtops. The red color represents the radiant heat from the lower atmosphere (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) shining through the sulfuric acid clouds, which appear as much as 10 times darker than the bright gaps between clouds. This cloud layer is at about -30 degrees Fahrenheit, at a pressure about 1/2 Earth's surface atmospheric pressure. Near the equator, the clouds appear fluffy and blocky; farther north, they are stretched out into East-West filaments by winds estimated at more than 150 mph, while the poles are capped by thick clouds at this altitude.
Original Caption Released with Image
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Addition Date:
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1996-01-29
Addition_Date
1996-01-29
Addition Date
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Produced By:
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JPL
Produced_By
JPL
Produced By
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Mission:
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Galileo
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Spacecraft:
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Galileo Orbiter
Spacecraft
Galileo Orbiter
Spacecraft
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Target Name:
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Venus
Target_Name
Venus
Target Name
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Is a satellite of:
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Sol (our sun)
Is_a_satellite_of
Sol (our sun)
Is a satellite of
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Instrument:
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Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
Instrument
Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer
Instrument
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Product Size:
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1001 samples x 1000 lines
Product_Size
1001 samples x 1000 lines
Product Size
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Primary Data Set:
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Galileo EDRs
Primary_Data_Set
Galileo EDRs
Primary Data Set
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Producer ID:
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P37539
Producer_ID
P37539
Producer ID
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Venus
facet_what
Venus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Galileo
facet_what
Galileo
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Galileo Orbiter
facet_what
Galileo Orbiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Spectrometer
facet_what
Spectrometer
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS)
facet_what
Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Venus
facet_where
Venus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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February 10, 1990
facet_when
February 10, 1990
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1990
facet_when_year
1990
facet_when_year
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Image #:
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PIA00124
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UID:
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SPD-PHOTJ-PIA00124
UID
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA00124
UID
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orignial url:
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orignial_url
orignial url
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