Changes

== Rotational characteristics ==

== Rotational characteristics ==

Venus rotates retrograde, or east to west, with a sidereal day of 5832.5 hours, or 243.686 Earth sidereal days. Venus' ''solar'' day is considerably shorter, at 2802.0 hours (117 sidereal days). Oddly enough, the solar day of Venus is almost exactly one-fifth its synodic year with respect to the earth, with the result that at each inferior conjunction (closest approach) of Earth and Venus, the same (night) side of Venus faces the Earth. This has led some astronomers to speculate that Earth and Venus are in some kind of [[tidal lock]]. However, at least two authorities stated that and Earth-Venus gravitational interaction would not produce such a lock unless the sun itself were producing a "tide" in Venus's atmosphere.<ref name=Gold>Gold, Thomas, and Soter, Steven. "[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WGF-4731C9M-CY&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=8edbfeb87ffb38474d3984472bf1ebdd Atmospheric tides and the resonant rotation of Venus]." ''Icarus'' 11(3):356-366, November 1969. {{doi|10.1016/0019-1035(69)90068-2}} Accessed May 21, 2008.</ref>

Venus rotates retrograde, or east to west, with a sidereal day of 5832.5 hours, or 243.686 Earth sidereal days. Venus' ''solar'' day is considerably shorter, at 2802.0 hours (117 sidereal days). This means that on Venus, it's day is longer than its year.Oddly enough, the solar day of Venus is almost exactly one-fifth its synodic year with respect to the earth, with the result that at each inferior conjunction (closest approach) of Earth and Venus, the same (night) side of Venus faces the Earth. This has led some astronomers to speculate that Earth and Venus are in some kind of [[tidal lock]]. However, at least two authorities stated that and Earth-Venus gravitational interaction would not produce such a lock unless the sun itself were producing a "tide" in Venus's atmosphere.<ref name=Gold>Gold, Thomas, and Soter, Steven. "[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WGF-4731C9M-CY&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=8edbfeb87ffb38474d3984472bf1ebdd Atmospheric tides and the resonant rotation of Venus]." ''Icarus'' 11(3):356-366, November 1969. {{doi|10.1016/0019-1035(69)90068-2}} Accessed May 21, 2008.</ref>

== Physical characteristics ==

== Physical characteristics ==