The images were taken at 365 nanometres, starting respectively 03:30 and 01:45 hours before reaching the pericentre (point of closest approach of the spacecraft to Venus). The complex atmosphere that surrounds the planet is clearly visible.

The true-colour (grey-scale) version of this movie can be downloaded here.

Thanks to the use of different wavelengths, VIRTIS probed the atmosphere at different depths, ranging from 70 kilometres to about 60 kilometres altitude. It is interesting to see how the images contrast and the details increase while approaching the 60 kilometres altitude.

Credits: ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA

The sequence allow a first qualitative analysis of the cloud structures. Low-contrast stripe-features are visible, possibly due to the presence of strong winds that produce elongated structures. Set of periodic ‘wave’ patterns in the clouds, possibly due to the local variation of temperature and pressure, or to a kind of tidal forces in action at Venus, can also be seen.

The mysterious ‘UV absorbers’, ultraviolet markings on the cloud top, are visible as darker features in this movie. They are so called because they absorb almost half of the solar energy received by the planet. The mysterious substance that causes this absorption still represents a true puzzle for the scientists.

Differently from Earth and other planets, Venus absorbs only the ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun, while it scatters most of the rest of the solar radiation. This is the reason why Venus appears so bright in the sky (high ‘albedo’).

Credits: ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

The original images (taken at a wavelength of 365 nanometres) were projected on geographical coordinates. While flying over the cloud deck at high speed (from left to right), Venus Express got closer to the deck itself and obtained ever more detailed images (see right-hand side).

The sequence allows a first qualitative analysis of the cloud structures. Low-contrast stripe-features are visible, possibly due to the presence of strong winds that produce elongated structures. Set of periodic ‘wave’ patterns in the clouds, possibly due to the local variation of temperature and pressure, or to a kind of tidal forces in action at Venus, can also be seen.

The mysterious ‘UV absorbers’, ultraviolet markings on the cloud top, are visible as darker features in this mosaic. They are so called because they absorb almost half of the solar energy received by the planet. The mysterious substance that causes this absorption still represents a true puzzle for the scientists.

Differently from Earth and other planets, Venus absorbs only the ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun, while it scatters most of the rest of the solar radiation. This is the reason why Venus appears so bright in the sky (high ‘albedo’).

Credits: ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

The image, covering an area situated between 20º and 90 º south, show clouds being clearly pushed by winds. Using a set of images of the same area acquired at different times, it is possible to make a direct measurement of the wind speed.

Credits: ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA

The two images on the left panel (taken at 2.3 and 1.7 microns, respectively) show a fine atmospheric structure below the Venusian cloud deck, at about 35 and 20 kilometres altitude, respectively.

The right panel is the result of the projection on geographical coordinates of the second image of the left panel. The images at the top where taken from a distance of about 6000 kilometres from the surface, allowing VIRTIS to generate the high resolution details visible at the top of the panel. While Venus Express continued flying over the planet it got farer from the surface – up to 20 000 kilometres distance – allowing VIRTIS to obtain a wider view, but in lower resolution.

Stripe-like features are visible at the bottom of all images. They could be indicative of a wave-like atmospheric motion (due to tidal forces?), but their nature is still unexplained. The separate images can be downloaded here: [Cloud_tracking_infrared_b_H.tif, Cloud_tracking_infrared_c_H.tif, Wind_tracking_b_H.tif]

Credits: ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA

In this image (taken at 365 nanometres) the South Pole is near the terminator, just above the centre of the image. The complex atmosphere that surrounds the planet is clearly visible. Near the pole we see spiralling clouds surrounding the polar vortex, away from the pole we see cloud features of the upper cloud deck at approximately 70 kilometres altitude.

Credits: ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

The X axis of the plots provides the different position at which the ions (charged atoms) hit the ASPERA detectors. The Y axis provides the energy of the detected ions. The white lines correspond to different ion masses.

The left plot shows the heated solar wind (protons and ‘alfa-particles’) which just passed the Venus bow shock (the region in space separating the unperturbed solar wind from the area where the solar wind interacts with the planetary environment). The right plot shows massive escape of the planetary oxygen ions detected inside the solar wind void which results from the interaction with Venus.

Credits: ESA/ASPERA/Swedish Institute of Space Physics (Kiruna)