![Did a Rogue Moon Alter Venus's Rotation? Exploring the Fascinating Possibility 1 As it sped away from Venus, NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft captured this seemingly peaceful view of a planet the size of Earth, wrapped in a dense, global cloud layer. But, contrary to its serene appearance, the clouded globe of Venus is a world of intense heat, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of corrosive acid.](https://i0.wp.com/images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/04171151/SEI_185953073.jpg?resize=696%2C464&ssl=1)
Venus spins in the opposite direction to all of the other planets in the solar system
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Venus rotates in the opposite direction to the other planets in the solar system, and astronomers aren’t sure why – but it may have been caused by the drag of an ancient moon in a backwards orbit.
The early solar system was a chaotic place, with rocks hurtling around at extraordinary speeds. Valeri Makarov at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington DC and Alexey Goldin at Teza Technologies in Chicago performed a series…