What type of rotation does venus have

The only other planet to spin in a weird direction is Uranus which spins on its side, probably the result of another collision early on in its life. It is thought that Venus was named after the beautiful Roman goddess counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite due to its bright, shining appearance in the sky. Of the five planets known to ancient astronomers, it would have been the brightest.

Because Venus is easy to spot with the naked eye, it is impossible to say who discovered the planet. Find out more. Let our practical astronomy guides, approved by Royal Observatory astronomers, help you navigate the night sky. Astronomy Photographer of the Year See the biggest astrophotography competition in the world. Explore Venus!

Click and drag to rotate the planet. Scroll or pinch to zoom in and out. Venus looks like a very active planet. It has mountains and volcanoes. Venus is similar in size to Earth. Earth is just a little bit bigger. Sign up for our email newsletter. Sign Up. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options.

Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. Subscribe Now You may cancel at any time. For years, scientists have been unable to agree on the length of a day on Venus, but one new study might put an end to this confusion. The planet Venus rotates very slowly , with a single revolution taking about Earth days, and this rotation rate varies. Additionally, while the planet turns slowly, its atmosphere moves dramatically faster, making a complete rotation in only four Earth days, according to a statement about the new study.

However, while we can follow the planet's changing rotation, until now, scientists weren't able to clearly explain why the rate changes. Thanks to images from the Akatsuki spacecraft of JAXA, the Japanese space agency, researchers think that they have finally found the reason behind these variations. In a new study, published today June 18 in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers showed how the interaction between Venus' fast-moving atmosphere and its surface, marked with volcanos and mountains, changes the speed of the planet's spin.