The Violent Venusian Atmosphere
Venus’s most terrifying feature—its atmosphere—is also its most fascinating. Clouds located in the upper atmosphere race across the planet at speeds reaching 224 miles per hour (360 km), blowing from east to west (opposite to how we do it here on Earth). Hurricane-strength winds perpetually blow across the entire globe, though at altitude. Oh, and these clouds are filled with sulfuric acid that rains down upon the planet’s surface, hot enough to melt lead. To add insult to injury, the planet has electric winds that stripped the planet of its atmospheric water. Venus also features one of the most impressive atmospheric structures in the solar system—a bow-like weather feature that stretches for nearly 6,200 miles (10,000 km) across the planet.
