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Science 29 February 1980:
Vol. 207. no. 4434, pp. 981 - 983
DOI: 10.1126/science.207.4434.981
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Articles

Viscous Flow Circulation of the Solar Wind Behind Venus

H. PÉREZ-DE-TEJADA 1

1 Instituto de Geofísíca, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 20, D.F.

A latitudinal circulation model of solar wind flow in the near wake of Venus is presented. It is shown that solar wind fluxes entering through the polar terminator can be viscously forced to lower latitudes. The resulting motion produces a downstream elongation of the nightside polar ionosphere out to the downstream extension of the middle- and low-latitude ionopause. The geometry suggested by this flow circulation model provides a simple explanation of the ionospheric bulge inferred from the Pioneer Venus observations.

Submitted on July 22, 1979
Revised on December 20, 1979

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)