The first European probe to Venus – Venus Express – has sent back its first images to Earth since entering the orbit of this planet on April 11.
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The images show a “whirlwind” of clouds at the southern pole of Venus (Photo: Space) | |
The images, taken from a location 206,452 km away from Venus, reveal the southern pole of the planet (the part not visible from Earth) covered in pale yellow clouds, interspersed with darker spiral cloud bands and “whirlwinds” of dark clouds, similar to the cloud cover in the northern pole.
The scientists involved in this mission were surprised by the clear visibility of a dark cloud “whirlwind” captured in one of the images. The European Space Agency (ESA) stated that these images are “astonishingly clear,” with “detail beyond expectations.”
They were taken on April 12 using advanced equipment mounted on the probe, including multi-dimensional camera lenses and infrared techniques, as the spacecraft passed beneath the planet in an elliptical orbit.
Venus Express will orbit Venus for approximately 500 days to study its atmosphere, which is believed to be affected by greenhouse gas emissions. The average surface temperature of this planet is around 467°C (872°F), hot enough to melt lead.
Scientists hope that through Venus Express, they will uncover more about Venus – which has similar size and mass, and structure to Earth – in order to help explain various issues related to climate change on Earth.
This mission marks the first probe to Venus in 15 years.
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