What color is Venus?

If you ask, “what is the color of Venus,” then the answer you get may be a little complex. The color of this planet varies depending on who you ask, who is looking, and what they are looking through?

If we look at Venus without any instruments but our own eyes, we would say that Venus looks very bright with a white and yellowish hue or color. Now, this description of Venus’ color with our own eyes would be much different than how Venus looks in pictures.

It is hard to truly know the color of Venus and its surface because of its surrounding atmosphere. Venus is surrounded by thick clouds, and some of these clouds are made of sulfuric acid. We cannot really see through these thick clouds. The atmosphere itself is composed of carbon dioxide. The clouds of sulfur dioxide are so thick that light cannot even pierce through them to light up the surface. That means if you were to stand on the surface of Venus, it would be fairly dark.

From pictures scientists have gathered, the surface of Venus has brown and red rocks and dust. The major problem with the color of Venus lies in how the pictures of Venus were taken. To try and solve the riddle of it color, scientists took pictures of Venus using different wavelengths. However, each picture made Venus look a different color. The one probe that made it to the surface of Venus showed red and brownish rocks. However, most pictures are enhanced, including enhanced color, to better read and show the details in the picture.

Therefore, the answer to this question is complex and highly dependent upon the viewer and his or her instrument. If looking with human eyes, Venus is white and yellow with a reddish and brown surface. Scientists generally agree to describe Venus as white and yellow. Perhaps further discovery will help further define the color of this planet.