A Helluva Place

The surface of Venus reaches temperatures of 477 degrees Celsius, almost as hot as summer in Texas.  And now Venus Express has, through thermal imaging, started mapping the surface through the CO2 cloud cover that enshrouds the planet.  After many passes the combined images will give us a better look at specific elevations on the surface.

I was always impressed by the Magellan probe's radar images of the planet's surface.  The pictures beamed back from the spacecraft look to me almost like photographs.  Absolutely amazing.