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Science help needed...

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meg_evonne:
I remember playing with a globe within a globe in science class.  Model of Venus, I think.  As the interior globe rotated, a gold/black colored liquid between the two layers of the globes rotated at different speeds based on location of the longitude lines? 

So did the liquid, meant to simulate the gasseous atmosphere of Venus, rotate faster near the equator?  I think it did, but looking for confirmation and I've tried several question searches on sites, but no luck.  Hoping that one of you might know. 

Thanks all!

Dikaion:
Could this be what you are talking about?

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/venus/features.html


--- Quote ---Venus is always covered by a thick layer of clouds that make it impossible to see the surface for light in the visible part of the spectrum. Light at radar wavelengths penetrates the cloud deck and allows us to study the surface. A comparison of the motion of the surface with that of the upper clouds indicates that while the surface takes about 8 months to rotate, the clouds rotate all the way around the planet in about 4 days. This indicates that there are very high velocity winds in the upper part of the Venusian atmosphere.
--- End quote ---

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/venus/atmosphere.html


--- Quote ---There are high-velocity winds in the upper atmosphere, but the atmosphere below the cloud deck appears to be relatively stagnant, with only very weak winds blowing at the surface. Convection driven by differential solar heating should give rise to winds of only a few meters per second, so the high velocity upper level winds, and the contrasting stagnation of the lower atmosphere, are not well understood.
--- End quote ---

meg_evonne:
Thanks Dikaion, very close but no banana, as they say.

I'm old enough that the concept might have been disproven by now.  It's those high atmosphere winds that I'm referring to, however I'm pretty sure that the winds are strongest or fastest near the equator, and slower as you approach the poles.  As I understand the earth is not perfectly round, but sort of squashed outwards near the equator.  Does that same thing happen to the atmosphere--thus causing it to reach higher speeds at that equator.  I don't know how well I'm explaining the concept.

I'll keep scrounging around on internet and hope something pops up.  If not, I'll find an old, retired physics professor who will tell me it was one of those facts in science that didn't hold up over the years.

The Mrs Geek:
I don't know if this will help because I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, however, warmer gases will travel faster than colder gases soooo at the equator in theory should move faster than those at the poles.

Dikaion:

--- Quote from: meg_evonne on April 14, 2008, 02:45:55 PM --- I'll keep scrounging around on internet and hope something pops up.  If not, I'll find an old, retired physics professor who will tell me it was one of those facts in science that didn't hold up over the years.

--- End quote ---

I once emailed Sten Odenwald of the Astronomy Cafe fame, and he emailed back within a few days.  I don't know if he still allows people to do that, but you could try him: http://www.astronomycafe.net

There's also Phil Plait at badastronomy.com, but he might be too busy nowadays since his career seems to be taking off.

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