Monday, June 29, 2026
Science

Vast atmospheric waves on Venus are caused by largest known 'hydraulic jump'

The mysterious origin of an impressive cloud disturbance on Venus has now been revealed by a team including the University of Tokyo. Researchers used numerical models to show that an enormous 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric wave front, which circumnavigates the planet for days at a time, is caused...

Vast atmospheric waves on Venus are caused by largest known 'hydraulic jump'
Image: Phys.org
The mysterious origin of an impressive cloud disturbance on Venus has now been revealed by a team including the University of Tokyo. Researchers used numerical models to show that an enormous 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric wave front, which circumnavigates the planet for days at a time, is caused by a large "hydraulic jump." This is when a fluid abruptly slows down, changing from shallow and fast to deep and slow.

Originally published at Phys.org

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