The Dark Side of the Force: Archive

The Dark Side of the Force

February 2012

Could Venus be shifting gear? ESA’s Venus Express spacecraft has discovered that Venus spins a little slower than previously measured. Using the VIRTIS instrument at infrared wavelengths to penetrate the thick cloud cover, scientists studied surface features and discovered that some were displaced by up to 20 km from where they should be. The accepted rotation rate as measured by NASA’s...