Precipitation of Solar Wind Ions into the Venusian Upper Atmosphere: An ASPERA-4 Investigation

This is a book about whether or not solar wind ions precipitate into the upper atmosphere (ionosphere) of planet Venus. The signs of solar wind precipitation into the Martian atmosphere have been found by various scientists. Magnetic environment of both planets is almost similar and both planets do not possess global intrinsic magnetic field. Many scientists believe that interaction of solar wind with planet Venus is very much similar to Mars and solar wind precipitation also takes place on Venus. In this study, the ion data of Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA)-4, an IRF instrument onboard Venus Express, an ESA’s mission towards Venus has been used for the analysis. Role of Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) and magnetic barrier in the precipitation has also been investigated. Results show that magnetic barrier shielding on Venus is very effective against the solar wind precipitation.