![]() ![]() This large impact on Venus may have resulted in the planet reversing its rotation if the blow was from the opposite direction of its rotation. ![]() Other recent research suggests that Venus' clockwise rotation was produced by an extreme impact from a large body early in Venus' development, 4 to 5 billion years ago (similar to how a major impact created our Moon from Earth). This is somewhat similar to what is happening here on Earth, as our Moon's pull on our oceans causes tides whose subsequent friction is gradually slowing Earth's rotation. It is hypothesized that these interactions caused Venus's rotation to slow, stop, and then reverse. Research suggests that the "backward" rotation is caused by tides which are raised in the thick atmosphere by the Sun, and with friction interaction between the atmosphere and planet itself. One other interesting note is that Venus rotates clockwise, the only planet in our solar system to do so, and contrary to its own orbit around the Sun. It revolves around the Sun every 225 Earth days, but its rotation takes 243 Earth days. Venus is the second closest planet to our Sun at an average distance 67 million miles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |