How long is a day on Venus? Scientists already have the right answer

Published:

2 May 2021 17:17 GMT

“Venus is our sister planet, but these basic characteristics are unknown,” said the research director.

A team of researchers led by the University of California at Los Angeles has determined the exact length of a day on Venus, the tilt of its axis and the magnitude of its center over the past 15 years thanks to radar bumps applied to the planet’s surface. The results were Published Thursday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

New radar measurements show it The average day on Venus lasts 243.0226 Earth days, which is equal to two-thirds of the earth. The rotation speed of this planet is always changing, which means that the value measured at a time is slightly higher or lower than the previous value. The team estimated the length of a day from each individual measurement and observed differences of at least 20 min.

“Venus is our sister planet, but these basic characteristics are unknown”, Announced Jean-Luc Margot, Professor of Earth Sciences and Director of Research.

The results also reveal that Venus is leaning exactly to one side 2.6392 degrees, The earth tilts about 23 degrees. Based on the rotation measurements, the team of researchers also calculated that the center of the planet With a diameter of 3,500 km, Are similar to Earth, although they cannot be reduced if they are liquid or solid.

According to scientists, Common to Earth and Venus: The two rocky planets are almost the same size, mass and density, however, as these measurements show, they formed in radically different orbits.

“Most of the time, we get some data, but getting all the data we get is unusual,” Margot said. Despite the challenges, the team is moving forward and has set its sights on two The moons of Jupiter: Europe and Canmeet.