Venus thermal 1-micron
21st and 23rd December 2013

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Venus near infrared animation December 2013

Heavily contrast boosted images from stacked images taken
 with a GSTAR-EX CCD video camera fitted with
RG1000 near infrared filter and 12-inch Newtonian @ f/10.
Commercially available filters that provide a steeper cut-in point
at 1-micron can reveal more readily thermal back radiated
detail of surface topography. Given the planets incredibly
slow rotation rate, fixed geological detail will appear shifted
by only a small amount over several days.

It appears the broader characteristics the RG1000 NIR filter
I use here (kicking in at around 970 or 980nm, is less effective at defining surface topography yet more readily reveals more
rapidly moving amorphous cloud in the middle upper atmosphere set against or rather mixed in with  the overall thermal background from the planets hot surface.