[X] My Assistant

[Gladstoner]

Regarding the few images released after the 6/5/2007 Messenger flyby of Venus:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10124

The image caption states that 614 images were acquired. Are these available?

After all these missions, there is still a lack of (available) visible-light (non-UV) images of the 2nd rock.

[ZLD]

If somebody wanted to convince me otherwise

Not intending to be stuck on this but I do find the prominence of the lines interesting. I've never seen any other images of Venus with similarly sharp features present, beyond radar data. Does any one know what files this composite comes from in the PDS? It would be very helpful to know the time they were captured at least.

Also, my Venus geology is poor and when I previously notated Alta Regio, I intended Beta Regio. I'm not sure of the path that Messenger took past Venus, but if it was actually slightly above the ecliptic, and the shadowed limb is actually around the northern pole (as the clouds seem to allude to), the features could (and I emphasize that strongly in ignorance here) place the feature very near Beta Regio.


Click to animate

[4throck]

Not intending to be stuck on this but I do find the prominence of the lines interesting. I've never seen any other images of Venus with similarly sharp features present, beyond radar data.

There are frequent "linear" cloud features on Venus. Specially visible around the polar regions.
As far as I know, atmospheric studies (including ground based) only determined a recurrent Y shaped cloud pattern, and a ~4 days rotation period.
No other permanent features were noted. And since Venus rotates slowly, any localized persistent phenomena would be noticed.

On the IR the surface emits (heat) so you can measure that (with some degree of blocking from the clouds). But essentially you get topography/surface temperature, not albedo.

Here's an interesting link:
https://astro.uni-bonn.de/~dfischer/venus/