Venus coordinated campaign

This wiki is provided as a tool to share information and schedules for the 2010 coordinated ground-based campaign of Venus. Please feel free to complete and modify the attached tables according to the campaign progress and your proposed observations.

Tools of the Venus coordinated campaign

Scheduled ground-based observations

A list of proposed and actual observations : pre-conjunction (July 2010-Oct. 29, 2010), post conjunction (Oct. 29, 2010 - Feb. 2011)

• File:2010 Campaign.pdf Ground-based observing periods and facilities in 2010-2011
• 2010 | Detailed observing circumstances (Editable Google spreadsheet)

VEx Files

• SOIR Files:

File:SOIR observation list until Sep2010.xls

This file lists all SOIR observations made from the beginning of Venus operations (April 2006) until September 2010.

For further details, contact the SOIR Principal Investigator: Ann-Carine Vandaele <A-C.Vandaele@aeronomie.be>

File:SOIR MTP56-MTP70.xls

This file desctibes SOIR solar occultation opportunities in the period 30/7/2010 - 25/8/2011. SOIR occultations allow measurement of gas abundances and temperatures in the 80-150 km altitude region.

For further details, contact SOIR Principal Investigator: Ann-Carine Vandaele <A-C.Vandaele@aeronomie.be>.

• VeRa Files:

File:VeRa OCC Seasons 1-9.xls

This file descibes all VeRa radio occultations carried out in the period 1/7/2006 - 2/6/2010.

For further information contact the VeRa team: Martin Paetzold <Martin.Paetzold@uni-koeln.de>, Bernd Hauesler <Bernd.Haeusler@unibw.de>, and Silvia Tellmann <tellmann@geo.uni-koeln.de>

File:VeRa Occultations seasons 10-12.txt

This file describes the future opportunities for Radio occultations in the upcoming occultation seasons in January 2011 - January 2012. File kindly provided by Stefan Remus, ESAC.

For further information contact the VeRa team: Martin Paetzold <Martin.Paetzold@uni-koeln.de>, Bernd Hauesler <Bernd.Haeusler@unibw.de>, and Silvia Tellmann <tellmann@geo.uni-koeln.de>.

Map of observatory sites and telescopes

Sites and telescopes used for ground-based observations, with a link to their instruments.

• 2010 Venus Coordinated Campaign, Telescopes sites (editable Google map)

Instrumental investigation of Venus

Ground-based instruments

• Sunspot Astronomy & Visitor Center

APO 3.5-m

ARCES

• Observatorio SOAR

Soar Telescope

• Observatoire du Pic du Midi de Bigorre

Bernard-Lyot 2-m

• Osservatorio Astronomico della Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta

• South African Astronomical Observatory

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)

• Hanle Observatory

HCT

• National Central University Lulin Observatory

LOT Cassegrain/ SLT R-C/ 4 TAOS robotic

• Naroyo Observatory

Naroyo 1.6-m

• Siding Spring Observatory

Anglo-Australian 3.9-m

• Mount John University Observatory

1 m McLellan

MOA 1.8-m

0.6-m Optical Craftsmen

0.6-m Boller & Chivens

• Mauna Kea Observatory

IRTF

Keck 10-m

CFHT 3.6-m

SUBARU

JCMT

• Haleakala Observatory

AEOS

• THIS Tuneable Heterodyne Infrared Spectrometer

used at the:

- McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona

- IRTF on Mauna Kea Hawaii

• HIPWAC Heterodyne Instrument for Planetary Wind And Composition

used at the:

- IRTF

Venus Express instruments

Instrumentation of Venus Express, Credit: ESA

• SPICAV/SOIR : Ultraviolet and Infrared Atmospheric Spectrometer

Atmospheric spectrometry by star or Sun occultation

UV 0.11 - 0.3 µm R ~ 300

IR 0.7 - 1.7 µm R ~ 1300

SOIR 2.3 - 4.2 µm R ~ 15000

• VeRa : Venus Radio Science Experiment

Radio sounding of atmosphere

• VIRTIS : Ultraviolet/Visible/Near-Infrared mapping spectrometer

Spectrographic mapping of atmosphere and surface

- VIRTIS-M mapping spectrometer

Vis 0.25 - 1.0 µm R ~ 100 - 200 ( IR 1 - 5 µm R ~ 100 - 200 )

- VIRTIS-H High-res

2 - 5 µm R ~ 1000 - 2000

• VMC : Venus Monitoring Camera

Ultraviolet and visible imaging

Filters :

UV 0.365 µm

Vis 0.513 µm

Near - IR1 0.965 µm

Near - IR2 1.010 µm

More about the Venus Express Instruments

Akatsuki instruments

Instrumentation of Akatsuki, Credit: JAXA

Visit the Akatsuki Website

Akatsuki successfully launched at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21 (Japan Standard Time) !

More about VCO/Akatsuki mission

• IR1 : 1-micron Camera

Low stratus, vapor, active volcanism

1.01 µm cloud (day-night), surface (nightside)

• IR2 : 2-micron Camera

Low stratus, trace gasses, zodiacal light

1.73, 2.26, 2.32 (near-IR) 2.02 (CO2), 1.65 µm

• UVI : Ultraviolet Imager

Cloud-top ultraviolet absorber, SO2

283, 365 nm SO2 - UV absorber (dayside)

• LIR : Longwave Infrared Camera

Cloud-top temperature distribution

10 µm cloud top (day/nightside)

• LAC : Lightning and Airglow Camera

Lightening flash, high-stratus airglow emission

Filters 777, 557, 553, 558, 630 nm O2/O airglow (night) lightning (night)

More about the Akatsuki Instruments

Coordination meetings / meeting sessions

• Venus Conference, Aussois (France), 20-26 June 2010
• « After-Aussois Venus 2010 » workshop: 1st strategic workshop on Coordinated ground-based measurements and modeling of the Venus atmosphere, Paris, June 28-29, 2010
• 2010 VEXAG International Workshop: Venus, Our Closest Earth-like Planet, Madison (USA), 30 August - 2 September 2010

Other links

• Coordinated Ground-based Venus Observation Campaign

(Between 23 May and 9 June 2007)

• Venus Ground-Based image Active Archive

The Venus ground-based image Active Archive (VAA) allows you to upload and retrieve ground-based Venus observations obtained in infrared, visual or ultraviolet light. The aim of this archive is to complement the Venus Express (VEX) spacecraft observations of Venus with worldwide ground-based images to allow for continuous monitoring of the planet.