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What colour is the Venusian surface beneath its clouds?
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Venus
Venus photographed in ultraviolet light by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (Pioneer 12) spacecraft, February 26, 1979. Although Venus's cloud cover is nearly featureless in visible light, ultraviolet imaging reveals distinctive structure and pattern, including global-scale V-shaped bands that open toward the west (left). Added color in the image emulates Venus's yellow-white appearance to the eye.
Beneath its thick cloud cover, the surface of Venus is illuminated by a yellow-orange light that filters through the atmosphere.1
While the exact mineral composition of the surface remains uncertain, data from Soviet landers suggest that the landscape is composed of rocky plains, often featuring flat, slabby, layered rocks and fine-grained soil. The elemental composition of these materials is generally similar to that of basalt rocks found on Earth. Due to the planet's extreme greenhouse effect, the surface environment is an inhospitable wasteland with temperatures reaching approximately 482 Ā°C (900 Ā°F).2134