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Venus is alive – geologically speaking

8 April 2010

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The volcanic peak Idunn Mons (at 46°S, 214.5°E) in Imdr Regio. The background image is radar data from NASA's Magellan mission. Bright areas are either rough or have an eastward facing slope, or both. Dark areas are smooth. The radar data is draped on the Magellan topography, shown with a vertical exageration of 30 times. The summit stands about 2.5 km above the plains and has a diameter of ~200 km. The coloured overlay shows the emissivity derived from ESA's VIRTIS surface brightness data, taken from Venus Express. The high emissivity area (shown in red and yellow) is centered on the summit and the bright flows that originate there.

Credits: 2010 California Institute of Technology; NASA/JPL

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This figure shows the volcanic peak Idunn Mons (at 46°S, 214.5°E) in the Imdr Regio area of Venus. The topography derives from data obtained by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft, with a vertical exageration of 30 times. Radar data (in brown) from Magellan has been draped on top of the topographic data. Bright areas are rough or have steep slopes. Dark areas are smooth.

The coloured overlay shows the heat patterns derived from surface brightness data collected by the visible and infrared thermal imaging spectrometer (VIRTIS) aboard ESA’s Venus Express spacecraft. Temperature variations due to topography were removed. The brightness signals the composition of the minerals that have been changed due to lava flow. Red-orange is the warmest area and purple is the coolest. The warmest area is situated on the summit, which stands about 2.5 km above the plains, and on the bright flows that originate there. Idunn Mons has a diameter of about 200 km.

The VIRTIS data was collected from May 2006 to the end of 2007.

Credits: ESA/NASA/JPL

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Artist's impression of the Venus Express spacecraft during its deep-space cruise phase. The launcher placed the spacecraft into a transfer orbit to Venus. Venus Express traveled through space for 162 days and once it was captured by Venusian gravity, took five days to manoeuvre into its operational orbit.

Credits: ESA / AOES Medialab

Looking at Venus

ESApod: Venus Express

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In depth

Notes for editors This story in depth