Length Scales of the Cloud Deck of Venus: Akatsuki Multispectral Observations

Venus’s cloud deck exhibits dynamically rich structures across a broad range of spatial scales, shaped by atmospheric circulation, wave activity, and radiative processes. Using multispectral images from the Akatsuki orbiter, we analyze the characteristic length scales of cloud features across ultraviolet (283–365 nm), near-infrared (2.02–2.32 μm), and thermal infrared (8–12 μm) wavelengths. We apply an image processing pipeline based on structure tensor analysis to selected images that capture global waves, the equatorial Y-feature, mesoscale vortices, and cloud streaks. We then use the predictions by the Venus Climate Database to further interpret the derived spatial scales using our structure tensor analysis method. This study provides a compact, scale-resolved characterization of Venusian cloud morphology as seen by Akatsuki.