NSSDCA ID: PSPG-00640
Availability: At NSSDC, Ready for Offline Distribution (or Staging if Digital)
Time span: 1978-12-08 to 1992-09-13
This data set contains maps of the topography of Venus obtained by the Magellan radar altimeter during the 24 months of systematic mapping from September 1990 through August 1992. Elevation is denoted by color, as shown in an attached color bar, and relief is further emphasized by simulated shading. The images consist of a Mercator projection of the planet between 69 degrees north and 69 degrees south latitude and two polar stereographic projections covering latitudes above 44 degrees. Using a new model of the Venus gravity field to improve the spacecraft orbit, the average height accuracy is better than 20 meters; horizontal (footprint) resolution of the surface depends on spacecraft altitude, with a resolution of about 10 km near the equator and as much as 25 km at higher latitudes. The Magellan altimeter acquired topography data over 98 percent of the planet's surface. The remaining gaps have been filled with measurements from Pioneer Venus (1978) and Venera 15/16 (1983) radar altimeters.
The elevated region in the north is Ishtar Terra, dominated by Maxwell Montes (the planet's highest mountains) which rise 11 km above the planetary mean elevation. Southwest of Ishtar are the highlands of Beta Regio and Phoebe Regio, which are bisected by a major north-south trending rift zone. The scorpion-shaped feature extending from the equator between 70 and 210 degrees longitude is Aphrodite Terra, a continent -like highland that contains several spectacular volcanoes at its eastern limit: Maat, Ozza, and Sapas Mons.
The data shown were compiled and analyzed at the Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Further information about Venus topography and these images in particular may be found by consulting the references listed under data set documentation and the article "An improved 360 degree and order model of Venus topography" by Rappaport et al., Icarus, in press.
Questions and comments about this data collection can be directed to: Dr. David R. Williams
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Peter G. Ford | General Contact | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | pgf@space.mit.edu |