Ground-based thermal mapping of Venus: HDO and SO2 monitoring and upper limits of NH3, PH3 and HCN at the cloud top

As part of a long-term monitoring program, full disk thermal maps of HDO (near 7 microns) and SO₂ (near 7 and 19 microns) have been obtained at the cloud top of Venus in 2023, using the TEXES(Texas Echelon Cross-Echelle Spectrograph)  imaging spectrometer at the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) at Mauna Kea Observatory. Assuming a constant D/H isotopic ratio, the water abundance has been more or less constant since 2018, at about half its value in 2012-2016. In contrast, the SO₂ abundance, which was very high in 2018-2019 and very low between July 2021 and March 2023, has increased by a factor of about 5 between February and July 2023 (close to its maximum level of 2018-2019), and has remained at its high level in September 2023. The origin of these long-term variations is still unclear. In addition, stringent upper limits of NH₃ (at 927-931 cm^-1), PH₃ (at 1161-1164 cm^-1) and HCN at 744-748 cm^-1) at the cloud top have been obtained in July 2023. These results will be presented and discussed.