LABORATORY SIMULATION OF VENUSIAN LIGHTNING Academic Article

abstract

• Evidence of lightning activity in the Venusian atmosphere has been obtained from the Venera 9, 11, and 12 spacecraft, and from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO). However, a search for optical pulses expected from Venusian lightning using the star sensor on the PVO did not detect any signals. It has been suggested that the star sensor did not detect lightning because Venusian lightning does not radiate in the 500 to 900nm spectral region detected by the star sensor. In this paper, we discuss spectra obtained from a laboratory simulation of Venusian lightning. Both the laboratory spectrum and the results of a theoretical calculation of line intensities show that Venusian lightning can be expected to radiate strongly in the 600 to 900nm spectral region. Hence, the failure of the star sensor to detect lightning must be caused by the low flashing rate or by the low intensity of Venusian lightning. This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright.

authors

• Orville, Richard

published proceedings

• GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS

author list (cited authors)

• BORUCKI, W. J., ORVILLE, R. E., LEVINE, J. S., HARVEY, G. A., & HOWELL, W. E.

citation count

• 7

complete list of authors

• BORUCKI, WJ||ORVILLE, RE||LEVINE, JS||HARVEY, GA||HOWELL, WE

publication date

• October 1983

publisher

• American Geophysical Union (AGU)  Publisher

published in

• Geophysical Research Letters  Journal

keywords

• 40 Engineering
• 4001 Aerospace Engineering

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1029/GL010i010p00961

start page

• 961

end page

• 964

volume

• 10

issue

• 10

URL

• http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1029%2Fgl010i010p00961