This image shows Mercator (above) and polar stereographic (below) color-coded maps of elevations on Venus, as derived from the first eight months of Magellan altimetric observations. A small amount of shading has been added to emphasize steep slopes. The large highland area in the north is Ishtar Terra, containing the highest mountains (called Maxwell) on the planet. Aphrodite Terra, another important highland, is draped along the equator to the right. Regions shown in gray have not yet been observed by Magellan, but show the coarser results of the 1978 Pioneer Venus mission. Over 90% of the planet has been mapped in this image.
