VEX Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS)
ODE: Venus
Mission: Venus Express (VEX)
Instrument: VIRTIS
PSA Archives: PSA Archive
Search VEX VIRTIS data in Venus ODE:Product Search • Map Search
The Venus Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) is an imaging spectrometer which allows Venus Express to map details of the Venus planet from the surface to the mesosphere. Therefore its scientific objectives cover a large field, not only in meteorology of the middle atmosphere, as expected from optical remote sensing instruments, but also in mineralogy, through the near infrared deep windows sounding down to the surface, and in aeronomy of the upper atmosphere, through non-LTE emissions of CO2.
VIRTIS is constituted of three data channels (M-visible, M-IR, and H) in one compact instrument. Two of these channels, one visible (0.25-1micrometers) and one infrared (1-5 micrometers) are committed to spectral mapping, and are housed in the Mapper (-M) optical subsytem. One channel is devoted solely to spectroscopy at high resolution, and is housed in the High resolution (-H) optical subsystem (2-5 micrometers). Both channels usually operate simultaneously, but can also work separately, depending on observing modes. They are boresighted and combined operations therefore provide a spectral image of 64 mrad from the two VIRTIS-M channels, associated with one (or several) spectrum from VIRTIS-H channel.
The main scientific goals of VIRTIS at Venus are the following:
- Study of the lower atmosphere composition (CO, OCS, SO2, H2O) from 1-2.5 micrometers night side atmospheric windows
- Study of the cloud structure, composition and scattering properties
- Cloud tracking in the UV and IR, for retrieval of the vertical field of wind velocities
- Measurements of the temperature field
- Lightning search
- Mesospheric sounding
- Search for variations related to surface/atmosphere interaction
- Temperature mapping of the surface
- Search for seismic wave activity (tentative)
In addition, VIRTIS also provides true colour high definition images of Venus of great value for public outreach program.
VIRTIS Products
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Type |
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Data Set ID |
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Raw Data Record More information:• Raw product in Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (EAICD) provides essential information about the instrument and dataset. |
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Calibrated Data Record More information:• VIRTIS calibrated data set volumes • Calibrated product in Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (EAICD) provides essential information about the instrument and dataset. |
More information about the VEX VIRTIS can be found in:
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A hands-on manual to manipulate VIRTIS data was produced for an ESA workshop in 2014, which goes with a tutorial and solutions.