Venus Highlights a Big Problem With How We Measure Alien Planets
Researchers found Venus’s superrotating atmosphere can make a planet seem to spin 60 times faster than its solid surface in reflected-light measurements.
3 Articles
3 Articles
The Planet That Lied About Its Own Spin
A new study warns that astronomers measuring the rotation of distant exoplanets may often be measuring atmospheric winds instead, since the clouds of Venus circle the planet roughly 60 times faster than Venus itself actually spins. Kane proposes using multi-wavelength observations to correct for this, work that will matter enormously once the European Space Agency's PLATO mission launches in 2027 and, researchers predict, discovers several hundr…
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, points to a significant discrepancy in the measurement of Venus's rotation. The research, led by Stephen Kane, reveals that the planet's rotation speed is much slower than previously believed, which could have profound implications for understanding the atmospheric and climatic dynamics of planets, including exoplanets. Research identifies discrepancy in Venus's rot…
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