Credit: ESA / MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
When you think of Venus, the image that comes to mind is that of a sweltering hot hell-hole, which is basically true. With temperatures on the surface hot enough to melt lead and crushing atmospheric pressure, it is not the kind of place you’d want to take a vacation.
But now scientists have found an unusual anomaly, a region of Venus’ atmosphere that is the opposite of this. About 125 kilometres (78 miles) above the surface, there is a layer in the atmosphere which is approximately -175˚ C (-283˚ F). That is cold enough that carbon dioxide, which comprises most of Venus’ thick atmosphere, could turn to ice or snow. It’s even colder than any part of Earth’s atmosphere.
See Examiner.com for the full article.