Fact Sheet
Venusian Vortex
Clouds form a swirling vortex around the south pole of Venus in this composite infrared image from Venus Express, a European craft that entered orbit around the planet on April 11. The left half of the image shows the planet's dayside, while the right half shows its nightside. In the night view, the bright streaks are thinner areas in the planet's global blanket of clouds, which allow more of Venus' intense heat to escape into space. This first-ever image of Venus' pole was snapped from a distance of about 130,000 miles. [Credit: ESA/CNR-IASF/Observatoire de Paris]
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