Planetary Magnetic Fields: Venus

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Recall that a dynamo requires a fluid core and rotation

Venus has a rotation period of 243 days

  • The magnetic field of Venus is ~25,000 times weaker than Earth’s, yet Venus likely has a fluid core, as we shall later see.
  • The small magnetic field around Venus is due to its slow rotation

    Additionally

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  • The Solar wind is prevented from reaching the surface of Venus by its thick atmosphere
  • A bow shock results from interaction with the ionosphere of Venus
  • The result is a region where there are charged particles, but No population of permanently trapped particles (a magnetosphere)

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Slide 17