Due to the data collected from the analysis of radio wave reflections (radar echoes) from Venus, scientists have for the first time accurately estimated the length of a day on the planet believed to be the closest and most similar to Earth.
In the past, scientists understood that among the planets in the Solar System, Venus had the longest day. However, previous estimates of the length of a day on Venus had significant differences. A day is the time it takes for a planet to complete one rotation on its axis, and a year is the number of days a planet takes to complete one orbit around the Sun.
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Image of the surface of Venus released by NASA. Image: wsj.com
A recent study published in the journal Nature Astronomy reveals that Venus completes one rotation on its axis in approximately 243.0226 Earth days. This means that on Venus, a “day” is longer than a “year” because the planet completes one orbit around the Sun in approximately 225 Earth days.
To obtain these research results, scientists conducted 21 radar observations towards Venus from 2006 to 2020 using the Goldstone antenna system of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) located in the Mojave Desert, California. They studied radar echoes from Venus to gain a better understanding of the planet’s characteristics.
The research team also studied the tilt of Venus’ axis and the size of its core, delving deeper into the planet often referred to as Earth’s “sister.” It was found that Venus’ core is primarily composed of iron and nickel, but it is still unclear whether the core of Venus is solid or liquid. Venus’ axis tilts about 2.64 degrees, while Earth’s axis tilts about 23.5 degrees.
Venus has a structure similar to Earth but is smaller in size, with a diameter of approximately 12,000 km. Enveloping this planet is a dense and toxic atmosphere, primarily composed of carbon dioxide (CO2), along with clouds containing sulfuric acid droplets. The surface temperature is around 471 degrees Celsius. Unlike most other planets in the solar system, Venus rotates from east to west.
Compared to Mars, another neighbor of Earth, Venus has received less attention from the scientific community. However, Jean-Luc Margot, a professor from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the lead author of the study, affirms that there are billions of planets similar to Venus in the Milky Way galaxy. Therefore, Venus serves as a perfect laboratory to gather information about planetary formation processes.