Colossal clouds cloak the surface of Venus, making it difficult for researchers to probe its secrets. One way astronomers have peered through the haze is with the European Space Agency’s Venus Express satellite, which orbited the veiled planet from 2006 until 2014. Data collected by the craft revealed how features on the surface, like mountains, can influence weather patterns many miles above.

“We now have good evidence of a connection between the surface and what we see in the atmosphere that was never clear before”, said Håkan Svedhem, project scientist for the E.S.A.’s Venus Express mission. (1)

Look at the sky.

You cannot reach the clouds.

Look again.

You can reach the clouds.

As above, so below…