Friday, 3 May 2013

Venus is the only planet that rotates CLOCKWISE


All the planets of the Solar System orbit the Sun in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from above the Sun's north pole. Most planets also rotate on their axis in a counter-clockwise direction, but Venus rotates clockwise (called "retrograde" rotation) once every 243 Earth days—the slowest rotation period of any planet. A Venusian sidereal day thus lasts longer than a Venusian year (243 versus 224.7 Earth days). The equator of the Venusian surface rotates at 6.5 km/h, while on Earth rotation speed at the equator is about 1,670 km/h. Venus's rotation has slowed down by 6.5 minutes per Venusian sidereal day since the Magellan spacecraft visited it 16 years ago. Because of the retrograde rotation, the length of a solar day on Venus is significantly shorter than the sidereal day, at 116.75 Earth days (making the Venusian solar day shorter than Mercury's 176 Earth days); one Venusian year is about 1.92 Venusian (solar) days long. To an observer on the surface of Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east.


No comments:

Post a Comment