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Science 19 February 1971:
Vol. 171. no. 3972, pp. 669 - 672
DOI: 10.1126/science.171.3972.669
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Articles

Clouds of Venus: Evidence for Their Nature

James E. Hansen 1 and Albert Arking 1

1 Goddard Institute for Space Studies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, New York, New York

The linear polarization of sunlight multiply scattered by the atmosphere, and cloud particles of Venus has been computed and compared with observations over the wavelength range from the ultraviolet to the infrared region. The following properties of the visible cloud layer are derived: the refractive index of the cloud particles is 1.45 ± 0.02 at a wavelength of 0.55 micron, and there is an indication of a slight decrease in the value from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared region; the mean particle radius is very near 1 micron, and most of the particles are spherical; the cloud layer occurs high in the atmosphere where the pressure is about 50 millibars (equivalent to an altitude of approximately 20 kilometers on the earth). The results for the index of refraction eliminate the possibility that the visible clouds are composed of pure water or ice.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Mount Agung Eruption Provides Test of a Global Climatic Perturbation.
J. E. Hansen, J. E. HANSEN, W.-C. WANG, and A. A. LACIS (1978)
Science 199, 1065-1068
   Abstract »    PDF »
Venus: Atmospheric Motion and Structure from Mariner 10 Pictures.
B. C. Murray, B. C. Murray, M. J. S. Belton, G. E. Danielson, M. E. Davies, D. Gault, B. Hapke, B. O'Leary, R. G. Strom, V. Suomi, et al. (1974)
Science 183, 1307-1315
   Abstract »    PDF »
Venus: Composition and Structure of the Visible Clouds.
R. G. Prinn (1973)
Science 182, 1132-1135
   Abstract »    PDF »
Venus Clouds: A Dirty Hydrochloric Acid Model.
B. Hapke and B. Hapke (1972)
Science 175, 748-751
   Abstract »    PDF »


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