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During the mapping cycle 1 (left-looking) radar surface mapping on Venus (September 15, 1990 to May 15, 1991), around 70% of the Venusian surface was mapped by synthetic aperture radar. In cycle 2 (right-looking), 54.5% of the surface was mapped, mainly the south pole regions and gaps from cycle 1 during May 15, 1991 to January 14, 1992.
The radar observations also allowed astronomers to determine that the rotation period of Venus was 243.1 days, [31] and that its axis of rotation was almost perpendicular to its orbital plane. It was also established that the radius of the planet was 6,052 kilometres (3,761 mi), some 70 kilometres (43 mi) less than the best previous figure ...
In 1978, the space probe Pioneer Venus 1 went into orbit around Venus for the purpose of making radar observations of the Venusian surface. These observations made possible the creation of the first topographic map of the surface of Venus, and confirmed that a point within Maxwell Montes is the highest point above the average level of the ...
Much speculation about the geological history of Venus continues today. The surface of Venus is not easily accessible because of the extremely thick atmosphere (some 90 times that of Earth's) and the 470 °C (878 °F) surface temperature. Much of what is known about it stems from orbital radar observations, because the surface is permanently ...
The answer is no, according to new research that inferred the water content of the planet's interior - a key indicator for whether or not Venus once had oceans - based on the chemical composition ...
The atmosphere of Venus supports decks of opaque clouds of sulfuric acid that cover the entire planet, preventing optical Earth-based and orbital observation of the surface. Information about surface topography has been obtained exclusively by radar imaging .
Venus has an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, with a pressure that is 90 times that of Earth's atmosphere. There are over 80,000 [2] volcanoes on Venus detected through radar mapping. For many years scientists debated on whether Venus was currently active or if the volcanic structures were remnants from the past.
Radar astronomy is a technique of observing nearby astronomical objects by reflecting radio waves or microwaves off target objects and analyzing their reflections. Radar astronomy differs from radio astronomy in that the latter is a passive observation (i.e., receiving only) and the former an active one (transmitting and receiving).