Charged Atoms in Venus's High Atmosphere

Date: 12 Jul 2006
Satellite: Venus Express
Copyright: ESA/ASPERA/Swedish Institute of Space Physics (Kiruna)

These two plots where built with data retrieved from ASPERA, the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms on 30 May 2006, when Venus Express was flying through different domains of the interaction region between Venus and the solar wind.

Both plots show the energy of the detected ions (logarithmic Y-axis) versus the radial positions at which the ions hit the ASPERA detectors (linear X-axis). The white lines correspond to different ion masses.

The left plot shows the heated solar wind (protons and alfa-particles), which just passed the Venus bow shock (the region in space separating the unperturbed solar wind from the area where the solar wind interacts with the planetary environment). The right plot shows massive escape of the planetary oxygen ions detected inside the solar wind void which results from the interaction with Venus.