Meteor phenomena in the atmosphere of Venus

Abstract

Meteor astronomy employs the atmosphere of the Earth as a large area detector for 0.01-1000 mm meteoroids [1]. Monitoring the atmospheres of other planets for meteor activity offers the opportunity to study the parent bodies of as-yet-undetected meteor showers, test ablation models under non-terrestrial conditions and allow spacecraft operators to mitigate the risk of meteoroid impact damage [2]. By adjusting existing techniques to simulate meteoroid ablation in a Venus-like atmosphere [3-8], we show that Venusian meteors are generally brighter but shorter-lived than terrestrial meteors and ablate at a higher altitude, in a predominantly clear region of the atmosphere. These simulations are complemented with a list of cometary bodies and known meteoroid streams that we consider to be prime candidates for producing significant meteor activity at Venus [9,10]. Such predictions may be used in developing future observational campaigns to be carried out from Earth or from Venus orbit.