Aphrodite Terra is one of the three continental regions on the planet
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
, the others being
Ishtar Terra
Ishtar Terra is one of the three continental regions on the planet Venus, the others being Aphrodite Terra and Lada Terra. It is a highland region named after the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, and is found in the north of the planet. In size, i ...
and
Lada Terra. It is named for Aphrodite, the Greek equivalent of the goddess Venus, and is found near the equator of the planet. Aphrodite Terra is about half the size of Africa, making it the largest of the terrae.
Description
Aphrodite Terra was named by the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
, the governing body for planetary and satellite nomenclature, after Aphrodite, the
goddess of love. The name was chosen because Aphrodite is the Greek equivalent of the Roman goddess
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
.
Located near the equator of Venus, Aphrodite Terra has an area about half the size of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, and is much smaller than the rougher
Ishtar Terra
Ishtar Terra is one of the three continental regions on the planet Venus, the others being Aphrodite Terra and Lada Terra. It is a highland region named after the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, and is found in the north of the planet. In size, i ...
. It is covered with deep rift valleys. Like Ishtar Terra, Aphrodite Terra also has mountain ranges but they are only about half the size of the mountains on Ishtar.
Extending nearly two thirds around the planet, Aphrodite Terra's topography appears buckled and fractured which suggests large compressive forces. There are also numerous extensive lava flows across this terrain
and some have an interesting bow shape to them due to atmospheric gravity waves.
Aphrodite Terra has two main regions:
Ovda Regio
Ovda Regio is a Venusian crustal plateau located near the equator in the western highland region of Aphrodite Terra that stretches from 10°N to 15°S and 50°E to 110°E. Known as the largest crustal plateau in Venus, the regio covers an area of ...
in the west and
Thetis Regio in the east.
Ovda Regio
Ovda Regio is a Venusian crustal plateau located near the equator in the western highland region of Aphrodite Terra that stretches from 10°N to 15°S and 50°E to 110°E. Known as the largest crustal plateau in Venus, the regio covers an area of ...
has ridges running in two directions, suggesting that the compressive forces are acting in several directions. Certain dark regions appear to be solidified lava flows. A series of cracks appear where lava has welled up through the surface and flooded the surrounding terrain.
Gallery
Image:Venus_globe.jpg, Radar surface appearance
File:Map of Venus.png, Color-coded elevation map, showing the elevated "continents" in yellow: Aphrodite Terra is just below the equator to the right. ''Pioneer Venus'' Orbiter collected these data with radar.
See also
*''
Vega 1
Vega 1 (along with its twin Vega 2) was a Soviet space probe, part of the Vega program. The spacecraft was a development of the earlier '' Venera'' craft. They were designed by Babakin Space Centre and constructed as 5VK by Lavochkin at Khim ...
''
*''
Vega 2
Vega 2 (along with Vega 1) was a Soviet space probe part of the Vega program to explore Halley's comet and Venus. The spacecraft was a development of the earlier '' Venera'' craft. The name VeGa (ВеГа) combines the first two letters Russian w ...
''
References
Bibliography
1. D. A. Senske
"Geology of the Venus equatorial region from Pioneer Venus radar imaging,"Part 3 Regional Geology, ''Earth, Moon, and Planets,'' July 1990, ''Volume 50'', Issue 1, Springer, pp 305–327.
2. L. S. Crumpler
"Eastern Aphrodite Terra on Venus: Characteristics, structure, and mode of origin,"Part 3 Regional Geology, ''Earth, Moon, and Planets,'' July 1990, ''Volume 50'', Issue 1, Springer, pp 343–388.
Page 1.
External links
NASA Map of Venus:
Surface features of Venus
{{Venus-stub