Multiple Views of Venus' Clouds (IMAGE) European Space Agency Caption This image is a composite of four different views of the Venusian cloud system. The images were acquired on Sept. 24, 2006 by the Ultraviolet, Visible and Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board ESA's Venus Express, from distances of about 65,000 kilometres (top left), 60,000 kilometres (top right), 53,000 kilometres (bottom left), 37,000 kilometres (bottom right) from the planet's surface. The images, showing a complex cloud system, were taken on the night-side of Venus (04:00 local time), at a wavelength of 1.7 micron that allows viewing the deep atmospheric layers. The grey-scale of the images is such that black means more transparency, therefore less clouds, while white means more opacity, therefore more cloud concentration. Credit ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA Usage Restrictions For non-commercial use only License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.