Ištar Terra
Highlands on Venus | ||
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Ištar Terra | ||
Ishtar Terra's location and topography | ||
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position | 62 ° 30 ′ N , 20 ° 0 ′ E | |
history | ||
Eponym | Akkadian goddess Ištar |
Ištar Terra (also Ischtar Terra ; English Ishtar Terra ; Russian Земля Иштар ) is one of two main highland regions on the planet Venus . It is the smaller of the two "Venus continents" after Aphrodite Terra , with a size between that of Australia and the continental United States , and lies in the northern hemisphere relatively near the North Pole between the 45th and 80th parallel. It is named after the Akkadian goddess Ištar .
description
In the western part of Ishtar Terra, four kilometers above zero level, there is the unique Lakshmi Planum plateau , named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi . On the plateau are the two volcanoes Colette Patera and Sacajawea Patera, named after Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and the Shoshone Indian Sacajawea . Almost all formations on Venus have female names. The plateau is bordered by the four great mountain ranges of Venus; in the south of the Danu Montes , in the west of the Akna Montes , north of the approximately 6.5 km even higher Frejya Montes and in the east of the Maxwell Montes . The Maxwell Mountains are with a height of up to 10800 m above sea level. Zero level is the highest point on Venus. They were named in honor of James Clerk Maxwell , who, with his electromagnetic wave equations, created a basis for radar exploration of the surface of Venus.
To the east of the Maxwell Mountains lies the Cleopatra impact crater, which is filled with solidified lava . It is named after Cleopatra VII and with a diameter of 104 kilometers it is the eighth largest impact crater on Venus.
In the eastern part of Ishtar Terra, the highlands have extensive Tesserae, mainly the Fortuna Tessera region, a hilly plateau with an altitude of about up to 2500 m above sea level. Zero level . Such highlands, which are structured like parquet patterns due to faults , seem to show that the surface of the planet was once in very changeable motion.
Web links
- Geologic evolution of Ishtar Terra ( Memento from March 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Radio Science and Venus : Altimetry Map of Ishtar Terra
- JPL / NASA - Welcome to the Planets: Lakshmi Planum
- A River Runs Through It ( Memento from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive )