Extraterrestrial Life

Smith, W. B.

doi:10.1126/science.155.3764.852

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…These studies of the quasithermal radio emission from discharging drops may be of interest in discussion of the temperature of Venus (8,9). The observed planet-wide cloud cover and suggestions (10) to the effect that the clouds are continuously precipitating, taken together with the universally observed ease with which aerosols become charged, help to make plausible the suggestion that a portion of the microwave temperature originates as discharges involving vast numbers of charged particles; particles with lesser charge, colliding in strong electric fields, could provide considerable additional radiation.…”

Section: Application To Thunderstormsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Charge Transfer between Raindrops

Sartor

Atkinson

1967

Science

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Electric discharges between free-falling drops have been observed and studied quantitatively in the laboratory. These data and information from terrestrial thunderstorms suggest that augmentation of the UHF temperature of thunderstorms by discharges could amount to 117 degrees K. If similar discharges occurred in the atmosphere or on the surface (or in both regions) of Venus, 1.4 x 10(6) discharges per second per square meter would be required to produce the microwave temperature observed (approximately 650 degrees K). It is not probable that such radiation supplies the whole microwave temperature observed; some fraction must be true thermal radiation as described by Plummer and Strong (9), in which case the probable number of required discharges is reduced accordingly.

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Section: Application To Thunderstormsmentioning

confidence: 97%