This mosaic of radar images taken by the Magellan spacecraft shows one hemisphere of Venus. The long belt of bright terrain called Aphrodite Terra winds along the equatorial region. This is an area of mountainous terrain where many volcanoes occur.
Plains dominate the regions north and south of Aphrodite.
A network of long ridge belts also appears in the north. The color of this mosaic is computer generated. Few probes have entered this harsh environment, and none has survived long. Only four, all Soviet Venera spacecraft, have returned images from the surface. The rocks on Venus are a dull gray, but sunlight filtered by the thick atmosphere gives them a yellow tint.