Explore Venus spinning backward - a sidereal day of about 243 Earth days, longer than its 224.7 d year, with a solar day near 116.75 Earth days.
Published teaching figures (NASA Planetary Fact Sheet): sidereal rotation ~243.025 d retrograde, orbit ~224.701 d, mean solar day ~116.75 Earth days. Retrograde Motion 3D teaches apparent sky paths - this page teaches Venus's own spin.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Scrub Earth days, play/pause, or compare Earth's prograde spin.
Venus Retrograde Rotation 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows Venus spinning backward - not the apparent retrograde zigzag of planets in Earth's sky. Sidereal rotation is about 243 Earth days (retrograde), the orbit about 224.7 d, and one solar day about 116.75 Earth days.
Scrub Earth days to watch orbit and retrograde spin together, play/pause, or compare Earth's fast prograde spin. Retrograde Motion 3D owns sky-path zigzags; Uranus Tilt 3D owns extreme obliquity - this page owns Venus's day-longer-than-year spin.
- Venus on a schematic orbit around the Sun
- Retrograde spin with a surface marker and spin-sense arrow
- Day scrubber in Earth days with play/pause
- Optional Earth spin compare (prograde ~1 d)
- Published 243 d / 224.7 d / 116.75 d teaching figures
- Distinct from retrograde-motion (apparent sky path)
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Students see why Venus's day outlasts its year; teachers contrast spin sense with Earth; curious readers separate planetary spin from sky retrograde.
| Figure | Value | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Sidereal rotation | ~243.025 d (retrograde) | NASA Planetary Fact Sheet (Venus) |
| Orbital period | ~224.701 d | Venus year |
| Mean solar day | ~116.75 Earth days | Sunrise-to-sunrise |
| Contrast | vs apparent sky retrograde | See Retrograde Motion 3D sibling |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
This is an educational spin + orbit schematic - not an N-body ephemeris or climate model.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Venus Retrograde Rotation 3D Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes Retrograde Motion 3D and Uranus Tilt 3D.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Venus Retrograde Rotation 3D Explorer show?
A teaching schematic of Venus spinning backward - about 243 Earth days per sidereal rotation, a 224.7 d year, and a solar day near 116.75 Earth days.
Is this the same as Retrograde Motion 3D?
No. Retrograde Motion 3D teaches the apparent zigzag of planets on Earth's sky. This page teaches Venus's own retrograde spin.
How can the day be longer than the year?
Venus's sidereal spin (~243 d) is slower than its orbit (~224.7 d). Combined with retrograde sense, the solar day is about 116.75 Earth days.
What does the orange arrow mean?
It marks retrograde spin sense - opposite the usual prograde teaching convention used for Earth.
What does Compare Earth spin do?
It shows a ghost Earth with a ~1-day prograde spin so you can feel how much slower Venus turns.
Is this an ephemeris?
No. It is an educational spin + orbit schematic - not an N-body ephemeris or climate model.