Bizarre Venus surface formations (or coronae) are likely key to understanding our twin planet's heretofore inscrutable interior. Using NASA Magellan spacecraft data from decades past, Anna Gulcher, an earth and planetary scientist at Germany's University of Freiburg, have created innovative new 3D models of the largest coronae to better understand Venus' puzzling geodynamics.

The team used data from the Magellan spacecraft's radar sensors, which officially ceased functioning in 1994, to get a closer look at the coronae's surrounding topography and gravitational signatures.