Wonder of ScienceRelative rotation periods of planets in 2D.
Credit: @Physicsj
Simon Brooke@wonderofscience @Physicsj I hadn't realised the rotation periods of the Earth and Mars were so uncannily similar. Is there an underlying cause for this, or is it happenstance? I'd be less surprised if Earth and Venus had similar rotation periods, since they have similar mass!
Geo@simon_brooke @wonderofscience @Physicsj I'm no expert, but it is not just mass. Closeness to the sun (close planets rotate slower) and possibly the existence of moons play a role. I also looked it up and apparently, no one knows exactly why Venus rotates so slowly (also compared to Mercury) and in the 'wrong' direction (the only one besides Uranus to rotate to the left instead of the right in the picture above).
Thank you, I learnt something new today.
Thank you, I learnt something new today.