Is Venus correcting its rotation?

Photo from space.com

It may not be politically correct to say…but I think we can all admit that Venus is doing it wrong.  Venus is the only planet rotating in the exact opposite direction from the rest of the planets-what we describe as a 180 degree axis tilt.  It spins clockwise, while the rest of us spin counter-clockwise-the same direction that we orbit around the Sun, which is no coincidence!  So how did Venus end up this way?  Most theories take it back to some sort of massive collision that occurred long ago, causing Venus to get “knocked over”, but believe that Venus was once following the same patterns of motion as the rest of the planets.

What is really fascinating to see now though is that Venus is slowing down!  As this article states, Venus has slowed its rotation by 6.5 minutes in just the last 16 years.  For those playing at home…this is a time period that has occurred in our own lifetime!  Could you imagine the drastic effects of our day getting 6.5 minutes longer in just 16 years?  Scientists believe that this is due to the fact that Venus is rotating in an opposite direction of its orbit around the Sun-an unnatural arrangement.  The gravitational pull of a body orbiting Venus slowing it down is not an option since it has no moons, so this seems like a reasonable answer.

What is even more interesting is that some believe that, if this slowing continues as it has been, that Venus may eventually begin rotating counter-clockwise like the rest of the planets.  Granted, it would still be “upside-down”, but no one would even know it then!  I’m not sure exactly what the physical requirements are to reverse the spin, but it will sure be interesting to see if this pattern continues.  If it does, that just shows how wonderful nature is and how it always seems to have a way of correcting itself!