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Why is a Day on Venus Longer Than a Year?
Venus's Rotation: Venus has an extremely slow rotation. It takes 243 Earth days for Venus to complete one full rotation on its axis (a single day).
Venus's Orbit: However, Venus takes only 225 Earth days to orbit around the Sun (a single year).
So, while it takes Venus 243 days to rotate once on its axis (making a day), it only takes 225 days to travel around the Sun. This means a Venusian day is longer than its year.
Additional Interesting Facts About Venus's Rotation
Retrograde Rotation: Venus has a retrograde rotation, meaning it rotates in the opposite direction of most planets in the solar system, including Earth. If you were standing on the surface of Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east, which is the opposite of what happens on Earth.
Slow Rotation: In addition to being retrograde, Venus's rotation is incredibly slow. In fact, if you were on Venus, it would take longer to complete a single rotation than to orbit the Sun.
Other Venus Facts
Venus's Atmosphere: Venus has a thick atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulfuric acid. This atmosphere traps heat in a phenomenon known as the greenhouse effect, making Venus the hottest planet in the solar system, with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.
Day vs. Year: While Venus's day is longer than its year, its year is shorter than Earth's, as Earth takes 365 days to complete one orbit around the Sun. The peculiar relationship between a day and year on Venus is just one of the many intriguing aspects of the planet.