This image shows a close-up view of the strange double-vortex in the atmosphere of Venus above the planet's South Pole. The image is an infrared view; warm areas are brighter. The "eyes" of the double vortex are towards the right and left sides of this image, near either end of the sideways "S-shaped" structure. This image was captured by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Venus Express spacecraft on May 29, 2006.
Image courtesy of ESA/VIRTIS/INAF-IASF/Obs. de Paris-LESIA.