What lies beneath⁣ ⁣ In this image, Venus may look like a serene planet, with white and tan clouds reminding us of a cozy cup of coffee. In reality, Venus is a world of intense heat, crushing atmospheric pressure, and clouds of corrosive acid.⁣ ⁣ The clouds seen here are comprised of sulfuric acid particles, as opposed to water droplets or ice crystals like on Earth. On top of being made of corrosive acid, these Venusian clouds whip around the planet at nearly over 200 mph (322 kph), circling the planet in about four and a half days.⁣ ⁣ So far, we’ve got acidic clouds and hurricane-force winds. Underneath the clouds lies extreme heat and pressure: Venus is hotter even than the innermost planet, Mercury. Venus’ thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, giving it surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead! Finally, the surface pressure on Venus is 92 times that of Earth’s. To experience that pressure on our home planet, you’d have to dive more than 3,000 feet (915 ...