Beneath its toxic clouds and atmosphere, the surface of Venus is covered by thousands of volcanoes and mountain ranges and may once have had a vast surface ocean that may have been destroyed by the planet's volcanic nature.

Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system, with temperatures on its surface as high as 900ºF (475ºC). This intense heat is due to the runaway greenhouse gas effect, which traps heat under the planet's carbon dioxide atmosphere and the sulfuric acid clouds that cover our nearest planetary neighbour.

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The Mariner 10 spacecraft captures a white image of Venus with red and tan stripes. The planet is almost completely visible, its right side giving way to the darkness of space.