Venus from Open Space Tapestry tapestry Credit: ESO/INAF-VST/OmegaCAM

Credit: ESO/INAF-VST/OmegaCAM

has been unveiling never-before-seen dust patterns ever since the star suddenly brightened for several weeks in early 2002

dynamic cloud of gas (a nebula)

The image features the planet’s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet’s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years

It is likely that Thackeray’s globules will be destroyed before they can collapse and form new stars

Venus from Open Space Tapestry tapestry Credit: ESO/INAF-VST/OmegaCAMVenus is a dim world of intense heat and volcanic activity. Similar in structure and size to Earth, Venus' thick, toxic atmosphere traps heat in a runaway 'greenhouse effect.' The scorched world has temperatures hot enough to melt lead. Glimpses below the clouds reveal volcanoes and deformed mountains. Venus spins slowly in the opposite direction of most planets. Distance from the sun: About 67 million miles, about 3 4 as far as the Earth is from the