Cloud opacity at Venus

This inverted grey-scale view of the venusian clouds was obtained by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board ESA’s Venus Express on 17 May 2007, at a distance of about 57 000 km from the planet.

This image, taken at around midnight local time, at 1.7-micrometres, reveals what is present at an altitude of 45-50 km in the south polar region. It is possible to see that the cloud curtain is very thick and opaque.

The imaged area is located between 40º south (bottom of the image) and 80º south (top) image top.