High dispersion observations of Venus during 1972 - The CO2 band at 7820 A

Results are reported for analysis of 47 photographic plates of Venus which show the spectrum of the CO2 band at 7820 A. Evidence is found for a semiregular four-day variation in the CO2 abundance over the disk of the planet as well as for temporal variations in the rotational temperature of the 7820-A band and temperature variations over the disk. No apparent relationship is found between the CO2 abundance and temperature, although an increase in temperature is usually accompanied by a decrease in the CO2 abundance. A curve-of-growth analysis assuming a constant CO2 line width yields an average rotational temperature of about 249 K, which is several degrees higher than previously obtained rotational temperatures for the same band. Temperature variations are found to indicate that the average temperature in the equatorial and polar regions is 2.3 K higher than that near the limb or terminator.