The atmosphere of Venus: winds and clouds observed by VIRTIS/VENUS EXPRESS

Abstract

After decades without a dedicated space mission, Venus, sometimes referred as Earth's twin planet, is again the subject of intense exploration. Venus Express (VEX), a mission of the European Space Agency, was launched in November 2005 and arrived to the planet in April 2006 where it is now in orbit. Among its scientific payload, the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) is an instrument well suited for the study of a plethora of atmospheric processes through its visual and spectral modes. In this work we will review some of the first results obtained with this instrument. The set of observations characterizes the properties of the multiple cloud layers in Venus, the global atmospheric dynamics and its variability as well as the structure of particular meteorological structures like the polar vortex and the nearly ubiquitous systems of gravity waves.