ESA News
http://www.esa.int
30 May 2008
New details on venusian clouds revealed
As ESA's Venus Express orbits our sister planet, new images of the cloud
structure of one of the most enigmatic atmospheres of the Solar System
reveal brand-new details.
Venus is covered by a thick layer of clouds that extends between 45 and 70
km above the surface. These rapidly-moving clouds are mainly composed of
micron-sized droplets of sulphuric acid and other aerosols (fine solid or
liquid droplets suspended in a gas), the origin of which is unknown.
Earlier missions have shown that the clouds resemble Earth's light fogs,
but their thickness creates an impenetrable veil.
The Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) on board Venus Express has been
observing the top of the cloud layer in visible, near-infrared and
ultraviolet wavelengths. Ultraviolet observations have shown a wealth of
new details including a variety of markings created by variable
concentrations of different aerosols located at the top of the cloud
layer.