Venus Global Images
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
 |
A Mariner 10 view of the clouds of Venus, taken in ultraviolet light. This is an example of early planetary imagery. The dots are a measuring grid in the camera. |
 |
The clouds of Venus are nearly featureless in visible light. Their structure is best seen in ultraviolet light, as in this view. |
 |
There's a large upwelling center at the subsolar point. From there the winds shear out the clouds, taking about four days to circle the planet. |
 |
 |
 |
A near polar view of Venus taken by the European Space Agency mission Venus Express. |
 |
Some of the mystery of Percival Lowell's canals on Mars disappears when we look at his other planetary drawings and see that he drew lines on everything, including Venus. However, the radiating lines are reminiscent enough of the upwelling to suggest he might actually have been seeing something. |
Return to Planetary Images Index
Access Course Notes on Planetary Geology
Access Astronomy Notes Index
Return to Professor Dutch's Home Page
Created 9 April 1999, Last Update 9 April 1999