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Venus Revisited This view of Venus, the first released by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on the European Space Agency’s Venus Express, reveals swirling patterns in the upper levels of the planet’s thick atmosphere. The left side of this south polar view shows all that is visible to our Earthly eyes in reflected sunlight. The right side is an infrared view of thermal energy emitted by Venus’ overheated atmosphere. For more information on these images, go to http://planetary.org/news/2006/0414_First_Venus_ Express_ VIRTIS_Images_Peel.html ESA/NAF-IASF, Rome, Italy, and Observatoire de Paris, France