VENUS

Sunlight on the cloud tops makes Venus shine brightly in earth's sky. As it moves it appears to go through phases similar to those of the moon.The dense clouds trap the sun's heat to make it the hottest of the planets.The acid clouds and unbearable pressure make it doubly inhospitable. Beneath the clouds are volcanic plains of hot desert covering about two-thirds of the planet.

BENEATH THE CLOUDS

Radar equipment on board spacecraft have "seen" through Venus's clouds. The most successful craft, Magellan, mapped 98 per cent of its surface in the 1990s.About two days of mapping were used to produce this picture of Maat Mons, the largest shield volcano on Venus.