2007-10-17 06:34:12 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I think the only thing "weird" in this context, is your question.
All orientations and angular momenta we find in the solar system are (be definition of science) "normal". There is no law of nature that says all "normal" planets go clockwise and must have a close to 24 hour rotation and therefor Venus is a freak.
It is, in general, very easy to fall into "geocentric" and anthropocentric traps like this because we are not accustomed to the reality on the moons of Jupiter or the sunrise over Pluto.
But that does not mean these things are not plenty "normal". If anything, the solar system seems to be an outlier because of the massive number of giant gas planets orbiting their host star very close that we have found. Even after subtracting for observer bias (these things are the easiest to detect), the findings indicate that the solar system is not the norm but just one out of a large class (or even a continuum) of likely planetary system types.
Having said that, there is a very easy way to rid your mind of these "centrisms". Just imagine there was a webcam on every large body of the solar system (eventually, there will be!) and you could dial in and see the sights on Mars, Venus, inside Jupiter etc. in real time. After looking at the very slowly changing day on Venus a dozen times, you would eventually get used to it and the feeling that something about it is "weird" will go away. You will simply accept it for what it is.
The question why there Venus has so little angular momentum while other planets have so much, is very valid, of course. The latest ideas are based on simulations of the planets orbit:
http://www.imcce.fr/Equipes/ASD/preprints/prep.2002/venus2.2002.pdf
I haven't read the papers, but I wouldn't be surprised if the answers is indeed quite simply that tidal forces are at work.
As you can see from the scope of the paper, the numerical calculations are far from trivial, which is a pretty good indicator that our ideas of the strength of these forces is quite developed (I would think we do have enough radar and gravitational mapping data to make more than just rough estimates of how tidal forces act on modern Venus).
2007-10-17 06:59:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I bet people from Venus are thinking the same thing about our axis and rotation...bunch of weirdo's over there on earth!
2007-10-17 06:42:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A large collision somewhat similar to the one that happened to Earth as hypothesized by the Global Impact Theory.
2007-10-17 12:03:31 · answer #3 · answered by Eratosthenes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
women are from venus, men from mars.
and women most definitely have a weird axis of rotation.
you do the math...
2007-10-17 07:39:44 · answer #4 · answered by jl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mebbe?... maybe Venus was nearby when that big whatever came by and knocked the moon-chunk outta Earth, set US spinning and slid by Venus at just the right spacing to slow it to a crawl?.... ya never know... it coulda....
2007-10-17 10:26:21 · answer #5 · answered by meanolmaw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has no moons; it's doing what earth would do without OUR moon.
2007-10-17 06:42:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a collision
2007-10-17 06:39:54 · answer #7 · answered by AlCapone 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋