金星的熔岩表面
如果你可以借助雷达(radar)来观测金星-你会看到上面这幅图的景象。这张图是用电脑处理麦哲伦太空船所得到的金星表面数据后重新构造的。1990年到1994年间,麦哲伦太空船一直围绕着金星飞行,用雷达测绘了这颗我们临近行星的表面。麦哲伦太空船发现了很多有趣的表面特征,包括大的圆顶状结构。如图所示,典型的这种结构大约有25千米宽。火山被认为是形成圆顶结构的原因,但更准确的机制还不太清楚。金星的表面非常热,以至没有任何降落其表面的探测器可以停留超过几分钟。(小兔译,小海校)
Venus' Once Molten Surface
Credit: E. De Jong et al. (JPL), MIPL, Magellan Team, NASA
Explanation: If you could look at Venus with radar eyes - this is what you might see. This computer reconstruction of the surface of Venus was created from data from the Magellan spacecraft. Magellan orbited Venus and used radar to map our neighboring planet's surface between 1990 and 1994. Magellan found many interesting surface features, including the large circular domes, typically 25-kilometers across, that are depicted above. Volcanism is thought to have created the domes, although the precise mechanism remains unknown. Venus' surface is so hot and hostile that no surface probe has lasted more than a few minutes.[/url] |
|