Today ESA is reporting that Venus Express has found a cold region in the planet’s atmosphere!  This is somewhat of a surprise as Venus’ carbon dioxide atmosphere is known to be thick enough to trap hot gas, creating a very very hot surface.

However ESA is reporting temperatures of -175ºC in a layer of atmosphere about 125 kms above the surface of the planet.  The cold layer is colder than any part of Earth’s atmosphere, which given the planet’s proximity to the Sun is very interesting!

For more information read ESA’s press release here.

Sharon