I like music. A lot. I like computers. A lot. I like winter. A lot.
I like Pepsi. A. Lot. I like Bayern Munich. A lot. I like Skyrim and Metal Gear Solid... A. Fucking. Lot.
A huge wave has been spotted in the upper atmosphere of Venus, baffling scientists because it’s staying so still above the planet’s surface. Usually clouds in that region move at about 100 meters (328 feet) per second, whereas this cloud is stationary compared to the planet’s rotation.
New work suggests that the wave was created in the lower atmosphere when it flowed over a mountain, which would be similar to a phenomenon on Earth called a “gravity wave.” The feature, related to atmospheric flow over mountains, has nothing to do with the similarly named “gravitational wave,” which refers to space-time ripples in the early universe.
“Although it is unclear whether gravity waves induced by mountains can readily propagate upwards to the cloud tops of Venus, the observations suggest that the atmospheric dynamics of Venus are more complex at depth than previously appreciated,” the journal Nature’s statement on the finding said. [Japan at Venus: Photos from the Akatsuki Spacecraft]