Thermal structure of Venus' nightside upper atmosphere measured by SPICAV UV on Venus Express
Abstract
The SPICAV UV instrument offers the possibility to probe the nightside of Venus upper atmosphere by means of stellar occultation. Here we analyze the entire SPICAV database, collected during seven years of operations, which consists of more than 550 vertical density and temperature profiles. The thermal structure of Venus mesosphere and thermosphere shows a large temporal and spatial variability