We already experience some atmospheric refraction during heat waves of 40C+ here on Earth, but in the distance.

If say we send a probe that captures HD video, how powerful would the distortion be on the surface of Venus at 92 bars and 460C? Would it be so great that it would look like everything is melting? Even closeby?

h

I CANT FIND THE SELFPROMOTION FLAIR

I think I figured out an actually fast way to terraform Venus. Drop a crap ton of aluminum in its atmosphere. The more Aluminum, the better. As a result the aluminum will combine with the sulfuric acid, and sulfur dioxide on Venus resulting in multiple chemical reactions eventually resulting in aluminum sulfate, some free hydrogen gas, free oxygen gas, and water, lots and lots of water. This reaction would permanently bind up all the sulfur in its atmosphere. As a result, the planets temperature would plummet, as more and more sulfur left its atmosphere, as it began to rain water. The aluminum sulfate would further the process purifying the waters of Venus as whole oceans would form. most of the trapped heat would quickly radiate out into space, leaving a baren continental world. As a result of its atmospheric pressure massively decreasing, its day would begin speeding up, to about 1 earth day. This would jumpstart its core generating a magnetic field. Then All you'd need to do is wait for the temperatures to stabilize to about room temperature globally. And then seed it with life. This would finish the process removing co2 from the atmosphere, and create a green paradise. In the case that a magnetic field isn't generated, or is too weak, then magnetic shielding can be built in orbit, and to help keep the world habitable, then in the far future we could build an artificial moon in orbit around the planet to help force generate a magnetic field, and cause plate tectonics to begin, stirring in the sulfuric compounds still left on its surface over time. Life seeded to the planet would also help to bind up and clean up some of the sulfuric compounds as well.

Venus is currently almost but but quite tidally locked. I wondered whether it might have been totally locked before its runaway greenhouse effect kicked in. The change in mass balance when its oceans evaporated could perhaps have disrupted the tidal lock.

Venus has so much going for it once you get past the surface. The super critical co2 probably has vast material wealth ready for extracting via pumps up to a cloud city. Even water can be made from sulfuric acid in the atmosphere. What it doesn't have is easily accessible nitrogen. The atmosphere of Titan is mostly nitrogen and it has low gravity. That means it could be possible to import nitrogen from Titan and export advanced manufacturing goods from Venus. The Moon could play a role in this as well in terms of making the actual ships to do this trade.