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A90-3003
Photographer : JPL This Mage
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8/24/90
| Description |
Photographer : JPL This Magellan image mosaic shows the impact crater Golubkina, first identified in Soviet Venera 15/16 data. The crater is names after Anna Golubkina (1864-1927), a Soviet sculptor. The crater is about 34 km (20.4 mi.) across, similar to the size of the West Clearwater impact structure in Canada. The crater Golubkina is located at about 60.5 degrees north latitude, 286.7 degrees est longitude. Magellan data reveal that Golubkina has many characteristics typical of craters formed by a mereorite impact including terraced inner walls, a central peak, and radar-bright rough ejecta surrounding the crater. The extreme darkness of the crater floor indicates a smooth surface, perhaps formed by the ponding of lava flows in the crater floor as seen in may lunar impact craters. The radar-bright ejecta surrounding the crater indicates a relatively fresh or young crater. Craters with centeral peaks in the Soviet data range in size from about 10-60 km (6-36 mi.) across. The largest crater identifed in the Soviet Venera data is 140 km (84 mi) in diameter. This Magellan image strip in approx. 100 km (62 mi.) long. The image is a mosaic of two orbits obtained in the first Magellan radar test and played back to Earth to the Deep Space Network stations near Goldstone, CA and Canberra, Australia, respectively. The resolution of this image is approximately 120 meters (400 feet). The see-saw margins result from the offset of individual radar frames obtained along the orbit. The spacecraft moved from the north (top) to the south, looking to the left. |
| Date |
8/24/90 |
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Venus - Crater Golubkina
| Title |
Venus - Crater Golubkina |
| Description |
This Magellan image mosaic shows the impact crater Golubkina, first identified in Soviet Venera 15/16 data. The crater is named after Anna Golubkina (1864-1927), a Soviet sculptor. The crater is about 34 kilometers (20.4 miles) across, similar to the size of the West Clearwater impact structure in Canada. The crater Golubkina is located at about 60.5 degrees north latitude, 286.7 degrees east longitude. Magellan data reveal that Golubkina has many characteristics typical of craters formed by a meteorite impact including terraced inner walls, a central peak, and radar bright rough ejecta surrounding the crater. The extreme darkness of the crater floor indicates a smooth surface, perhaps formed by the pounding of lava flows in the crater floor as seen in many lunar impact craters. The radar bright ejecta surrounding the crater indicates a relatively fresh or young crater. Craters with central peaks in the Soviet data range in size from about 10.60 km (6.36 miles) across. The largest crater identified in the Soviet Venera data is 140 km (84 miles) in diameter. This Magellan image strip is approximately 20 km (12 miles) wide and this piece of the image is approximately 100 km (62 miles) long. The image is a mosaic of two orbits obtained in the first Magellan radar test and played back to Earth to the Deep Space Network stations near Goldstone, Calif. and Canberra, Australia, respectively. The resolution of this image is approximately 120 meters (400 feet). The see-saw margins result from the offset of individual radar frames obtained along the orbit. The spacecraft moved from the north (top) to the south, looking to the left. |
| Date |
08.24.1990 |
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Venus - False Color Image of
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PIA00147
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - False Color Image of Alpha Regio |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This Magellan radar image shows Alpha Regio, a topographic upland approximately 1,300 kilometers (806 miles) across which is centered on 25 degrees south latitude, 4 degrees east longitude. In 1963 Alpha Regio was the first feature on Venus to be identified from Earth based radar. The radar bright area of Alpha Regio is characterized by multiple sets of intersecting trends of structural features such as ridges, troughs and flat floored fault valleys that together form a polygonal outline. Circular to oblong dark patches within the complex terrain are local topographic lows that are filled with smooth volcanic lava. Complex ridged terrains such as Alpha, formerly called "tessera" in the Soviet Venera 15 and 16 radar missions and the Arecibo radar data, appear to be widespread and common surface expressions of Venusian tectonic processes. Directly south of the complex ridged terrain is a large ovoid shaped feature named Eve. The radar bright spot located centrally within Eve marks the location of the prime meridian of Venus. Magellan radar data reveals that relatively young lava flows emanate from Eve and extends into the southern margin of the ridged terrain at Alpha. The mosaic was produced by Eric de Jong and Myche McAuley in the JPL Multimission Image Processing Laboratory. |
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Venus - Crater Golubkina
PIA00236
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - Crater Golubkina |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This Magellan image mosaic shows the impact crater Golubkina, first identified in Soviet Venera 15/16 data. The crater is named after Anna Golubkina (1864-1927), a Soviet sculptor. The crater is about 34 kilometers (20.4 miles) across, similar to the size of the West Clearwater impact structure in Canada. The crater Golubkina is located at about 60.5 degrees north latitude, 286.7 degrees east longitude. Magellan data reveal that Golubkina has many characteristics typical of craters formed by a meteorite impact including terraced inner walls, a central peak, and radar bright rough ejecta surrounding the crater. The extreme darkness of the crater floor indicates a smooth surface, perhaps formed by the pounding of lava flows in the crater floor as seen in many lunar impact craters. The radar bright ejecta surrounding the crater indicates a relatively fresh or young crater. Craters with central peaks in the Soviet data range in size from about 10.60 km (6.36 miles) across. The largest crater identified in the Soviet Venera data is 140 km (84 miles) in diameter. This Magellan image strip is approximately 20 km (12 miles) wide and this piece of the image is approximately 100 km (62 miles) long. The image is a mosaic of two orbits obtained in the first Magellan radar test and played back to Earth to the Deep Space Network stations near Goldstone, Calif. and Canberra, Australia, respectively. The resolution of this image is approximately 120 meters (400 feet). The see-saw margins result from the offset of individual radar frames obtained along the orbit. The spacecraft moved from the north (top) to the south, looking to the left. |
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Venus - 600 Kilometer Segmen
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PIA00245
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - 600 Kilometer Segment of Longest Channel on Venus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This compressed resolution radar mosaic from Magellan at 49 degrees north latitude, 165 degrees east longitude with dimensions of 460 by 460 kilometers (285 by 285 miles), shows a 600 kilometers (360 mile segment of the longest channel discovered on Venus to date. The channel is approximately 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) wide. At more than 7,000 kilometers (4,200 miles) long, it is several hundred kilometers longer than the Nile River, Earth's longest river, thus making it the longest known channel in the solar system. Both ends of the channel are obscured, however, so its original length is unknown. The channel was initially discovered by the Soviet Venera 15-16 orbiters which, in spite of their one kilometer resolution, detected more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of the channel. These channel-like features are common on the plains of Venus. In some places they appear to have been formed by lava which may have melted or thermally eroded a path over the plains' surface. Most are 1 to 3 kilometers (0.6 to 2 miles) wide. They resemble terrestrial meandering rivers in some aspects, with meanders, cutoff bows and abandoned channel segments. However, Venus channels are not as tightly sinuous as terrestrial rivers. Most are partly buried by younger lava plains, making their sources difficult to identify. A few have vast radar-dark plains units associated with them, suggesting large flow volumes. These channels, with large deposits appear to be older than other channel types, as they are crossed by fractures and wrinkle ridges, and are often buried by other volcanic materials. In addition, they appear to run both upslope and downslope, suggesting that the plains were warped by regional tectonism after channel formation. Resolution of the Magellan data is about 120 meters (400 feet). |
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Venus - Computer Simulated G
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PIA00271
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - Computer Simulated Global View of the Northern Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The northern hemisphere is displayed in this global view of the surface of Venus. The north pole is at the center of the image, with 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees east longitudes at the 6, 3, 12, and 9 o'clock positions, respectively, of an imaginary clock face. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the three eight-month cycles of Magellan radar mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Magellan obtained coverage of 98 percent of the surface of Venus. Remaining gaps are filled with data from previous missions, (the Soviet Venera 15 and 16 radar and Pioneer Venus Orbiter altimetry) and data from Earth-based radar observations from the Arecibo radio telescope. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structures. The simulated hues are based on color images recorded by the Venera 13 and 14 landing craft. Maxwell Montes, the planet's highest mountain at 11 kilometers (6.6 miles) above the average elevation, is the bright feature in the lower center of the image. Other terrain types visible in this image include tessera, ridge belts, lava flows, impact craters and coronae. The image was produced by the Solar System Visualization Project and the Magellan Science team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Multimission Image Processing Laboratory. The Magellan mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
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Venus - Computer Simulated G
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PIA00270
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - Computer Simulated Global View Centered at 90 Degrees East Longitude |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global view of the surface of Venus is centered at 90 degrees east longitude. Magellan synthetic aperture radar mosaics from the three eight-month cycles of Magellan radar mapping are mapped onto a computer-simulated globe to create this image. Magellan obtained coverage of 98 percent of the surface of Venus. Remaining gaps are filled with data from previous Venus missions -- the Venera 15 and 16 radar and Pioneer-Venus Orbiter altimetry -- and data from Earth-based radar observations from the Arecibo radio telescope. Simulated color is used to enhance small-scale structures. The simulated hues are based on color images obtained by the Venera 13 and 14 landing craft. The bright feature near the center of the image is Ovda Regio, a mountainous region in the western portion of the great Aphrodite equatorial highland. The dark areas scattered across the Venusian plains consist of extremely smooth deposits associated with large meteorite impacts. The image was produced by the Solar System Visualization Project and the Magellan Science team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Multimission Image Processing Laboratory. The Magellan mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
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Venus - Comparison of Venera
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PIA00465
Sol (our sun)
Imaging Radar
| Title |
Venus - Comparison of Venera and Magellan Resolutions |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These radar images show an identical area on Venus (centered at 110 degrees longitude and 64 degrees north latitude) as imaged by the U.S. Magellan spacecraft in 1991 (left) and the U.S.S.R. Venera 15/16 spacecraft in the early 1980's (right). Illumination is from the left (or west) in the Magellan image (left) and from the right (or east) in the Venera image (right). Differences in apparent shading in the images are due to differences in the two radar imaging systems. Prior to Magellan, the Venera 15/16 data was the best available for scientists studying Venus. Much greater detail is visible in the Magellan image owing to the greater resolution of the Magellan radar system. In the area seen here, approximately 200 small volcanoes, ranging in diameter from 2 to 12 kilometers (1.2 to 7.4 miles) can be identified. These volcanoes were first identified as small hills in Venera 15/16 images and were predicted to be shield-type volcanoes constructed mainly from eruptions of fluid lava flows similar to those that produce the Hawaiian Islands and sea floor volcanoes - a prediction that was confirmed by Magellan. These small shield-type volcanoes are the most abundant geologic feature on the surface of Venus, believed to number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, and are important evidence in understanding the geologic evolution of the planet. The only other planet in our Solar System with this large number of volcanoes is Earth. Clearly visible in the Magellan image are details of volcano morphology, such as variation in slope, the occurrence and size range of summit craters, and geologic age relationships between adjacent volcanoes, as well as additional volcanoes that were not identifiable in the Venera image. |
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Venus Hemispherical Globes
PIA03151
Sol (our sun)
Arecibo Radar Data, Imaging
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| Title |
Venus Hemispherical Globes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The images used for the base of this globe show the northern and southern hemispheres of Venus as revealed by more than a decade of radar investigations culminating in the 1990-1994 Magellan mission. The Magellan spacecraft imaged more than 98% of Venus at a resolution of about 100 meters, the effective resolution of these images is about 3 kilometers. A mosaic of the Magellan images (most with illumination from the west) forms the image base. Gaps in the Magellan coverage were filled with images from Soviet Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft in the northern quarter of the planet, with images from the Earth-based Arecibo radar in a region centered roughly on 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude, and with a neutral tone elsewhere (primarily near the south pole). The composite image was processed to improve contrast and to emphasize small features and was color-coded to represent elevation. Gaps in the elevation data from the Magellan radar altimeter were filled with altimetry from the Venera spacecraft and the U.S. Pioneer Venus missions. The images are presented in a projection that portrays the entire surface of Venus in a manner suitable for the production of a globe. A specialized program was used to create the "flower petal" appearance of the images, the area of each petal from 0 to 75 degrees latitude is in the Transverse Mercator projection, and the area from 75 to 90 degrees latitude is in the Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection. The projections for adjacent petals overlap by 2 degrees of longitude, so that some features are shown twice. (See PIA03167 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03167 ] for the image with place names.) |
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Venus Hemispherical Globes (
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PIA03167
Sol (our sun)
Arecibo Radar Data, Imaging
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| Title |
Venus Hemispherical Globes (with place names) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The images used for the base of this globe show the northern and southern hemispheres of Venus as revealed by more than a decade of radar investigations culminating in the 1990-1994 Magellan mission. The Magellan spacecraft imaged more than 98% of Venus at a resolution of about 100 meters, the effective resolution of these images is about 3 kilometers. A mosaic of the Magellan images (most with illumination from the west) forms the image base. Gaps in the Magellan coverage were filled with images from Soviet Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft in the northern quarter of the planet, with images from the Earth-based Arecibo radar in a region centered roughly on 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude, and with a neutral tone elsewhere (primarily near the south pole). The composite image was processed to improve contrast and to emphasize small features and was color-coded to represent elevation. Gaps in the elevation data from the Magellan radar altimeter were filled with altimetry from the Venera spacecraft and the U.S. Pioneer Venus missions. The images are presented in a projection that portrays the entire surface of Venus in a manner suitable for the production of a globe. A specialized program was used to create the "flower petal" appearance of the images, the area of each petal from 0 to 75 degrees latitude is in the Transverse Mercator projection, and the area from 75 to 90 degrees latitude is in the Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area projection. The projections for adjacent petals overlap by 2 degrees of longitude, so that some features are shown twice. Names are approved by the International Astronomical Union. (See PIA03151 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03151 ] for the image without place names.) |
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