New Study Sheds Light on Extreme Winds of Venus
November 29, 2025156 VistasTiempo de lectura: 2 minutos
Tamaño de fuente
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A recent scientific study has provided a long-awaited explanation for one of the solar system's most puzzling phenomena: the violent atmospheric system on Venus, where winds can exceed 100 meters per second—far surpassing the strongest hurricanes on Earth.
The peculiarity of this phenomenon lies in the fact that Venus's atmosphere rotates around the planet at a speed sixty times faster than its own rotation, a phenomenon known as "super-rotation" that has baffled scientists for decades. While Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, its atmosphere completes a cycle in just four days.
According to the study published in AGU Advances, the key is not the winds themselves but a daily tide generated by solar heat that acts as a massive engine, pushing the atmosphere from the extremely hot day side to the cooler night side, creating powerful interconnected currents that function as a constant energy pump.
The research team, led by Dr. Dixin Lai from the University of Science and Technology of China, utilized data collected by the European "Venus Express" and Japan's "Akatsuki" probes over 16 years, along with high-precision digital simulation models.
The findings indicate that scientists previously believed that recurring atmospheric patterns occurring twice daily were the main drivers of super-rotation. However, the new study confirms that the daily tide is primarily responsible for pumping energy into the upper cloud layers, thus maintaining the winds in a state of constant acceleration.
These results open new avenues for understanding the behavior of slowly rotating planetary atmospheres, both within our solar system and beyond, while questions remain regarding the dynamics of Venus's extreme climate and whether similar processes could influence the development of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe.
The peculiarity of this phenomenon lies in the fact that Venus's atmosphere rotates around the planet at a speed sixty times faster than its own rotation, a phenomenon known as "super-rotation" that has baffled scientists for decades. While Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, its atmosphere completes a cycle in just four days.
According to the study published in AGU Advances, the key is not the winds themselves but a daily tide generated by solar heat that acts as a massive engine, pushing the atmosphere from the extremely hot day side to the cooler night side, creating powerful interconnected currents that function as a constant energy pump.
The research team, led by Dr. Dixin Lai from the University of Science and Technology of China, utilized data collected by the European "Venus Express" and Japan's "Akatsuki" probes over 16 years, along with high-precision digital simulation models.
The findings indicate that scientists previously believed that recurring atmospheric patterns occurring twice daily were the main drivers of super-rotation. However, the new study confirms that the daily tide is primarily responsible for pumping energy into the upper cloud layers, thus maintaining the winds in a state of constant acceleration.
These results open new avenues for understanding the behavior of slowly rotating planetary atmospheres, both within our solar system and beyond, while questions remain regarding the dynamics of Venus's extreme climate and whether similar processes could influence the development of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe.
