The Timeless Turn

The real reason Venus spins backwards (what scientists call "retrograde rotation") isn’t fully settled, but the most accepted theory is:

A massive collision early in Venus’s history likely knocked it off its original spin.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Most planets spin counterclockwise (called prograde rotation), but Venus spins clockwise—retrograde.

• Scientists believe Venus may have been hit by a large celestial body (like a protoplanet), which caused its rotation to reverse or drastically slow down.

• It now rotates so slowly that one day on Venus is longer than a Venusian year (it takes 243 Earth days to rotate once, and 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun).

• Some models also suggest tidal forces from the Sun could have gradually flipped its rotation.

So, in cosmic terms: Venus had a rough start, took a wild hit, and just kept spinning her own way ever since.

Long ago in stardust skies,

Where questions float and logic flies,

A planet twirled the other way,

And left the stars with much to say.

She danced against the solar stream,

A slow, soft spin like in a dream.

The others whispered, “That’s not right…”

But Venus glowed with stubborn light.

Some say she twirled in playful grace,

Not lost, just found her own sweet pace.

With twinkling charm and timeless turn,

She taught the stars to twist and learn.

The scientists scratched heads and sighed,

“Why backwards?” None could quite decide.

Equations failed, the data blurred—

Venus simply never heard.

So now she sways, serene, grown,

In orbit with a mind her own.

A gentle rebel, sky-bound queen,

The loveliest glitch we’ve ever seen.