Three researchers from the University of California found a possible explanation for why the probes of Venus recorded a different duration of the day of the planet. The data on the speed of rotation of Venus has changed over the years for unknown reasons. It was only clear that for one rotation period it takes 243 Earth days, and the exact number differs by 7 minutes. Also, observations have shown that the atmosphere circulates in just 4 days. The new study suggests that atmospheric circulation is the cause of the different indications in the observations.
Scientists began to study the far wave, observed in the cloud formations of Venus. Its length was about 10,000 km. They noted that such waves are observed on Earth due to the collision of air with the mountains, but they usually disperse due to air currents. But the atmosphere of Venus is much denser. The researchers created a simulation to recreate cloud formations and used the mountains factor as a cause. As a result, the simulation showed a wave formed on the tops of the clouds, similar to that observed on a real planet. They also found that the drag effect actually slowed down the fixed rotation of the planet. On average, the effect was enough to create a difference of 2 minutes. This is not enough for 7 minutes, but enough to suggest the influence of physical formations.
