Though Venus is the closest planet neighbor of Earth and the brightest object in the sky (after the Sun and Moon), it appears virtually featureless to visual observers because it is perpetually covered in a thick soup of carbon dioxide clouds. Color images of the planet show only a smooth light blue orb going through phases like the moon. However, the use of ultra violet and infra red filters brings out cloud surface details that are otherwise undetectable under normal light. This image of Venus at magnitude -4.2 and a diameter of 17.5\\\” was taken through thin clouds and poor seeing.
Menu
