Venus has a wild quirk—a day on the planet is longer than its year! Venus takes 243 Earth days to spin once on its axis, which means one Venusian day lasts that long. But it only takes 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun, making its year shorter than its day. This slow spin is because Venus rotates backward compared to most planets, a trait called retrograde rotation, likely caused by a massive collision billions of years ago.

Venus is Earth’s closest neighbor, but it’s a harsh place—its surface is hot enough to melt lead, at 900°F, due to a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide that traps heat. It’s also the brightest planet in our sky, often called the “Evening Star.” The planet’s slow spin means if you lived there, you’d see the Sun rise in the west and set in the east, but you’d wait over seven months for it to happen. This odd time twist is a small bite of how strange our solar system can be, making Venus a planet like no other.

Next time you spot Venus in the sky, think of its long days—it’s a weird world fact that’s out of this world. Share this with your friends and come back for more on Bitefact!