Venus' Synodic Year: Why Does It Take Longer Than Earth's?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the duration of Venus' synodic year compared to Earth's, exploring the reasons behind the time it takes for Venus to complete its orbit as perceived from Earth. Participants examine concepts related to rotation, revolution, and synodic periods.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why Venus takes longer to orbit the Sun than Earth, suggesting a misunderstanding of gravitational effects.
  • Several participants clarify that Venus takes approximately 225 Earth days to complete one orbit around the Sun.
  • Another participant distinguishes between rotation (spinning on its axis) and revolution (orbiting the Sun), noting that Venus has a slow axial rotation of 243 Earth days.
  • A later reply introduces the concept of a synodic year, explaining that Venus takes about 1.6 years to complete a cycle as seen from Earth due to its need to catch up with Earth's movement after completing its orbit.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the definitions of rotation and revolution, as well as the approximate durations for Venus' orbit and rotation. However, there is some confusion regarding the concept of the synodic year, indicating that multiple views remain on the relationship between these periods.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the definitions of rotation and revolution may not be explicitly stated, and the discussion does not resolve the initial misunderstanding regarding gravitational effects.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in planetary motion, astronomy, or the differences between synodic and sidereal periods may find this discussion relevant.

sivaswetha
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Why do venus take more number of days for one complete rotation around sun than Earth when the gravitational pull towards venus is higher than Earth ?
 
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It doesn't. Google is your friend.
 
It doesn't. Venus takes approximately 225 Earth days to complete one orbit.
 
Maybe you're thinking about the rotation of Venus as opposed to the orbit of Venus? Venus spins on its axis very slowly, so it only makes a full axial rotation ever 243 Earth-days, but in this time period it has already made a full orbiting loop around the Sun and is about 8% of the way into the next loop.
 
Probably a definition issue:
Rotation: spinning about its axis
Revolution: moving around the sun
 
Perhaps you're thinking of a synodic year. Venus takes about 1.6 years to complete a cycle as seen from Earth. After it completes one orbit, it still has to travel an extra distance to catch up to Earth, which has also moved. So from one apparition as an evening star to the next it takes 1.6 years.
 

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