Venus Unveiled
Explanation:
The surface of
Venus is perpetually
covered by a veil of thick
clouds
and remains hidden from even the powerful
telescopic eyes of earth-bound astronomers.
But in the early 1990s, using imaging radar, the Venus orbiting
Magellan
spacecraft was able to lift the veil from the
face of Venus and
produced spectacular high resolution images
of the
planet's surface.
Colors used in this
computer generated picture of
Magellan radar data are based on color images from the surface
of Venus transmitted by the
Soviet Venera
13 and 14 landers.
The bright area running roughly across the middle
represents the largest highland region
of Venus known as
Aphrodite Terra.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
