LAUSR

Navarro and colleagues present simulations of the Venusian atmosphere that show how gravity waves launched above mountains in the afternoon can produce the global-scale, bow-shaped features observed by the Akatsuki spacecraft. These gravity waves can torque the planet, causing its rotation rate to change over the course of a Venusian day. The effect is small, but it may help to explain the different estimates of the length of day measured by past spacecraft.