Overview

• Japan Meteorological Agency’s Himawari-8 and -9 satellites serendipitously captured Venus in 437 infrared images between 2015 and 2025.
• Multispectral infrared analysis of these archived snapshots mapped nearly ten years of temperature changes at Venus’s cloud tops.
• Researchers detected the strongest thermal fluctuations on Venus’s sunrise side and linked them to atmospheric gravity waves.
• Publication in Earth, Planets and Space validates repurposing Earth weather satellites for sustained planetary observation.
• Himawari satellites are scheduled to operate through 2029, providing continuous multiband coverage of Venus until dedicated missions resume in the 2030s.