Venus: Atmosphere and surface 

First thought to be water clouds, then studies from Earth showed lots of carbon dioxide.
Then space missions (Venera, Pioneer) gave a more detailed view of the atmosphere, through atmospheric probes.

Chemical Composition:

Surface Pressure:  90 atmospheres!
Surface Temperature: 740 K! (above melting point of lead - yikes!)



What's it like on the ground? The view from Venera 13:


So how can we see the surface when it's covered in clouds?

Radar Mapping of Venus (Magellan early 1990s)

A Magellan Mosaic of Venus
Note: color shows elevation, not real color! red = high, blue = low



Details of Venusian Surface Features

Signs of volcanic activity, crustal fracturing, and impact events....

Surface age estimated at ~ 10 million years.

Active volcanos?