Photos of Maxwell Montes.
Magellan radar image of Lakshmi Planum and Maxwell Montes
(NASA/JPL (Magellan radar))
Quick facts- Highest point on Venus, ~11 km above the mean radius
- About 853 km long by 700 km wide
- Bright radar signature from metallic high-altitude “frost”
- Hosts the ~100 km double-ring crater Cleopatra
- The only Venusian feature named after a man
Routes (1)
- Standard Route — Class 6 (Venus environment; spacecraft & pressure suit required)
The standard ascent of this compressional mountain range gains roughly 36,000 ft of vertical relief. There are no technical cruxes — the entire difficulty is logistics, cold, and a hard vacuum (or near-vacuum).
Recorded ascents: 0 — be the first.
Trip Reports (0)
No trip reports yet. No human or robot has stood on this summit. Be the first to summit and post one!
Map
Eastern edge of Lakshmi Planum, Ishtar Terra — 65.2° N, 3.3° E.
NASA Magellan
Conditions — Maxwell Montes
The worst weather anywhere: a ~465°C surface, 90+ atmospheres of crushing carbon dioxide, and clouds of sulfuric acid. Maxwell Montes is the “coolest” spot on the planet — a balmy ~380°C. At ~380°C, the summit is the “coolest” place on the planet's surface.
Summit: 36,000 ft (~11 km above Venus's mean radius).
