Contact: Jean-Pierre Lebreton
Jean-Pierre.Lebreton@esa.int
31-715-653-600
European Space Agency

Polar Vortices at Venus and Saturn Compared

Caption: This composite image shows the South polar vortices at Venus (left) and Saturn (right). The left image was taken by the Ultraviolet/Visible/Near-Infrared spectrometer (VIRTIS) on board ESA's Venus Express on May 29, 2006, from a distance of about 64,000 kilometers from the planet. The vortex is imaged at a 5.05-micron wavelength, corresponding to an atmospheric altitude of about 59 kilometres, just about the Venusian cloud deck. The right image was taken in October 2006 by the Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on board NASA's Cassini, at a 5-micron wavelength. The large number of dark, circular leopard spots indicates that convective activity extending over dozens of kilometers in altitude is surprisingly rampant in the south polar region. Literally hundreds of storm clouds encircle the pole, appearing as dark spots in this image. Each of these spots represents a storm.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute/University of Arizona

Usage Restrictions: For non-commercial use only

Related news release: Saturn joins Venus in the vortex club