Japan has sent a sophisticated probe to Venus study its atmosphere in unprecedented detail.
...The Japanese team wants to get a better understanding of why Venusian weather systems moves so swiftly.
"On Venus, a high-speed wind called super-rotation is blowing all over the planet, in the direction of planetary rotation, with a velocity reaching 400km per hour at an altitude of around 60km from the surface," explained Dr Imamura.
"This wind blows 60 times faster than the planet's rotation, which is very slow (one Venusian day takes 243 Earth days). Akatsuki will investigate why this mysterious phenomenon occurs. Another objective is to study the formation of the thick sulphuric acid clouds that envelop Venus, and to detect lightning on the planet."
Infrared sensitivity can also be used to study surface composition.
Akatsuki will use this capability to try to find active volcanoes.
Europe's Venus Express probe recently found lava flows that could have been younger than 250,000 years old.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10135158.stm
