Beta Regio

Beta Regio
Feature type	Regio
Coordinates	25°18′N282°48′E / 25.3°N 282.8°E Coordinates: 25°18′N282°48′E / 25.3°N 282.8°E

Last updated March 14, 2019

Beta Regio is a region of the planet Venus known as a volcanic rise. Measuring about 3000 km, it constitutes a prominent upland region of Venus centered at 25°18′N282°48′E / 25.3°N 282.8°E / 25.3; 282.8 ^[1].

Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It has the longest rotation period of any planet in the Solar System and rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets. It does not have any natural satellites. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6 – bright enough to cast shadows at night and, rarely, visible to the naked eye in broad daylight. Orbiting within Earth's orbit, Venus is an inferior planet and never appears to venture far from the Sun; its maximum angular distance from the Sun (elongation) is 47.8°.

The first features that showed up in early radar surveys of the planet were given the names of letters of the Greek alphabet. Beta Regio was one of those features. It was discovered and named by Dick Goldstein in 1964.^[2] The name was approved by the International Astronomical Union's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU/WGPSN) between 1976 and 1979.^[3] Maxwell Montes, Alpha Regio, and Beta Regio are the three exceptions to the rule that the surface features of Venus are to be named for females: women or goddesses.

The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late ninth or early eighth century BC. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the first alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants. In Archaic and early Classical times, the Greek alphabet existed in many different local variants, but, by the end of the fourth century BC, the Eucleidean alphabet, with twenty-four letters, ordered from alpha to omega, had become standard and it is this version that is still used to write Greek today. These twenty-four letters are: Α α, Β β, Γ γ, Δ δ, Ε ε, Ζ ζ, Η η, Θ θ, Ι ι, Κ κ, Λ λ, Μ μ, Ν ν, Ξ ξ, Ο ο, Π π, Ρ ρ, Σ σ/ς, Τ τ, Υ υ, Φ φ, Χ χ, Ψ ψ, and Ω ω.

The International Astronomical Union is an international association of professional astronomers, at the PhD level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy. Among other activities, it acts as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations and names to celestial bodies and any surface features on them.

Maxwell Montes is a mountain massif on the planet Venus, of which a peak is the highest point on the planet's surface.

Volcanic rises are broad, sloping highlands over 1000 km across. They are cut by deep troughs 100–200 km across. These troughs are an example of continental rifting, and are evidence of surface tectonism.

Beta Regio is cut by a radar-bright north-south trough called Devana Chasma. The northern end has a volcano called Rhea Mons, and the southern end is dominated by a volcano titled Theia Mons.^[4]

Devana Chasma is a weak extensional rift zone on Venus, with a length of 4000 km, a width of 150–250 km, and a depth reaching 5 km. Most of the faults are facing north-south. The rift is located in Beta Regio, a 3000 km rise created by volcanic activity. Mantle plumes rising from the bottom are the reason behind the formation of the rift zone. The slow extension rates in the rift may be driven by the same reason.

Theia Mons is a large shield volcano on Venus. Its name is derived from the titan of Greek mythology.

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Maat Mons is a massive shield volcano. It is the second-highest mountain, and the highest volcano, on the planet Venus. It rises 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) above the mean planetary radius at 0.5°N 194.6°E, and nearly 5 km above the surrounding plains. It is named after the Egyptian goddess of truth and justice, Ma'at.

Geology of Venus Geological structure and composition of the second planet from the Sun

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Alpha Regio is a region of the planet Venus extending for about 1500 kilometers centered at 22°S, 5°E.

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Ceraunius Fossae is an area of intensely fractured terrain in the northern Tharsis region of Mars. It lies directly south of the large volcano Alba Mons and consists of ancient highland crust that has been deformed by numerous parallel faults and tension cracks. In places, younger lava flows cover the fractured terrain, dividing it into several large patches or islands. It is found in the Tharsis quadrangle.

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Guinevere Planitia is an expansive lowland region of Venus that lies east of Beta Regio and west of Eistla Regio. These low-lying plains, particularly in the western portion, are characterized by apparent volcanic source vents and broad regions of bright, dark, and mottled deposits. They are the only break in an equatorially connected zone of highlands and tectonic zones. The types, numbers, and patterns of mapped tectonic features and small volcanic landforms in the region provide important detail in the interpretation and evolution of venusian landscape.

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Ganis Chasma is a group of rift zones on the surface of the planet Venus. Bright spots detected by the Venus Monitoring Camera on the European Space Agency's Venus Express in the area suggest that there may be active volcanism on Venus.

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The mapping of Venus refers to the process and results of human description of the geological features of the planet Venus. It involves surface radar images of Venus, construction of geological maps, and the identification of stratigraphic units, volumes of rock with a similar age.

Ozza Mons is a inactive volcano on planet Venus near the equator.

References

↑ "Beta Regio". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ Butrica, Andrew J., SP-4218 To See the Unseen, Chapter 5: Normal Science, NASA, 1996
↑ Butrica, Andrew J., SP-4218 To See the Unseen, Chapter 6: Pioneering on Venus and Mars, NASA, 1996
↑ Carolynn Young, ed. (1990-08-01). The Magellan Venus Explorer' Guide. NASA.

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[1] "Beta Regio". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[2] Butrica, Andrew J., SP-4218 To See the Unseen, Chapter 5: Normal Science, NASA, 1996

[3] Butrica, Andrew J., SP-4218 To See the Unseen, Chapter 6: Pioneering on Venus and Mars, NASA, 1996

[4] Carolynn Young, ed. (1990-08-01). The Magellan Venus Explorer' Guide. NASA.