Recently, an amateur astronomer alerted NASA that a comet, or some other object, had just barreled into Jupiter, focusing attention on the giant planet. Curiously, at around that same time, another amateur astronomer observed a bright spot in the thick atmosphere of Venus.
Professional astronomers have no idea what the bright spot is. Venus has not had the scientific attention that Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have gotten. Partly, that's due to NASA's policy decision to search for life beyond Earth. The hellish conditions at the surface of Venus rule out the possibility of any life there that current science can imagine.
The bright spot suggests the next step in planetary science, however. The European Space Agency has its Venus Express probe at the planet and will study the spot, but really understanding the other worlds in the Solar System would likely require maintaining monitoring probes at each planet. Such a program might cost several billion dollars, but it would also establish a systematic approach to understanding our neighborhood.
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